Stakeholders want family planning, others in info platforms
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by felicia imohimi11 when developed the strategic plan will be leveraged upon by development partners and donors in strengthening the regulatory capacity of pcn and ensure cps and ppmvs provide quality fp and other phc information and services1 the stakeholders made the call at the inaugural meeting for the development of pcn fp and other primary health care phc strategic plan in collaboration with the psn-pacfah@scale in abuja1 the stakeholders included the federal ministry of health fmoh pharmacists council of nigeria pcn national agency for food and drug administration and control nafdac and pharmaceutical society of nigeria psn-partnership for advocacy in child and family health @scale project pacfah@scale1 others are community pharmacists and ppmvs society for family healthintegrate project among others1 they identified such platforms to include the national health management information system nhmis and the national family planning dashboard noting that community pharmacies and patent medicines shops were solution to achieving universal health coverage1 giving an overview of the strategic plan dr edwin akpotor programme manager psn-pacfah@scale said the plan would itemise what the council intended doing in repositioning cps and ppmvs in providing extended services1 akpotor said the three years strategic plan which would commence from 2019 to 2021 was meant for fp service delivery adding that for nigeria to achieve universal health coverage uhc there was need to include private sector healthcare provision1 stakeholders in health sector have urged the federal government to include family planning fp and other primary healthcare services provided by community pharmacists cps and patent and proprietary medicines vendors ppmvs in information platforms1 he emphasised that with the current task shifting and task sharing tsts policy of the government more services would be given to cps and ppmvs1 akpotor said the federal government at the july 2017 london fp2020 summit made a commitment to expand the fp services that community-based health practitioners such as cps ppmvs among others can provide1 through this commitment the government believes the current fp unmet need can be bridged while increasing access to critical fp information and services especially in hard-to-reach environment and ultimately achieving the countrys modern contraceptive prevalence rate goal mcpr1 in supporting the government to achieve this commitment and others the psn-pacfah@scale project is supporting pcn to develop a strategic plan blue print on re-positioning and strengthening the fp and other phc services provided by cps and ppmvs1 through the plan the council needs to have a plan on how to operationalise the tsts monitor ensure supportive supervision of this group to provide accurate exact services they are met to do he said1 akpotor identified some of the task of the council to include demand creation and generation creating awareness ensuring that the practitioners provide the relevant information and services1 according to him such measures will enable them to give right information to their clients or make a referral to the appropriate quarters when the need arise1 according to the 2013 national demographic and health survey ndhs 60 per cent of nigerians patronise or obtain their services and other phc services from private sector which is the cps and ppmvs1

Investment summit: World CEOs abandon Saudi over Khashoggi
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a wider western boycott of the conference suggests rising political risks in saudi arabia that could hit foreign direct investment which already plunged to a 14-year low last year according to a un body1 saudi arabia is in crisis in the face of international outrage over the murder of journalist jamal khashoggi energy minister khalid al-falih said tuesday at an investment summit boycotted by a host of global ceos and policymakers1 but the summit nicknamed davos in the desert has been overshadowed by the outcry over the murder of khashoggi inside the kingdoms consulate in istanbul on october 2 with a string of leading international investors pulling out over the case1 crown prince mohammed bin salman the kings powerful son whose reform credentials have been heavily damaged by the scandal despite repeated denials he had any involvement in the killing was a no-show at the opening session1 as we know these are difficult days. we are going through a crisis falih said in his speech1 falih said the murder of khashoggi was regrettable adding that nobody in the kingdom can justify it1 the comments come as turkish president recep tayyip erdogan demanded to know who gave the order for khashoggis killing in his country and the location of the slain journalists corpse1 the riyadh conference opened amid tight security at riyadhs ritz-carlton hotel with russian direct investment fund chief kirill dmitriyev and pakistani prime minister imran khan headlining1 falih heaped praise on the ceo of french energy giant total patrick pouyanne for standing by saudi arabia in this difficult period1 we see what partnership means when you have difficult times pouyanne responded as he shared the stage with falih1 this is when you really strengthen a partnership1 but a long list of investors and international policymakers have declined to show up in riyadh in apparent protest against the khashoggi killing1 siemens chief executive joe kaeser corporate chiefs from jp morgan ford and uber and media powerhouses like bloomberg cnn and the financial times all scrapped plans to attend1 ministers from britain and france and the united states which have huge defence deals at stake with saudi arabia have stayed away1 the three-day future investment initiative fii was meant to project the historically insular petro-state as a lucrative business destination and set the stage for new ventures and multi-billion dollar contracts1 despite talk of reform fdi inflows into saudi have stayed low and the scandal will only increase investor uncertainty said research firm capital economics1 and in a fresh setback the forums website went down on monday after an apparent cyberattack. there was no immediate claim of responsibility1 it was back up with reduced content when the conference opened1 this years conference contrasts with last years inaugural fii a star-studded event at riyadhs ritz-carlton hotel where prince mohammed was lionised as a visionary by speakers1 but many western firms have too much at stake to abandon the arab worlds biggest economy and some have decided to send lower-level executives1 companies from china and russia have also shown little interest in withdrawing from the event an organiser said1 the high profile withdrawal of so many american ceos from the conference certainly presents opportunities for asian and russian companies to make a splash ellen wald author of the book saudi inc. told afp1 the crown prince widely known by his initials mbs faces what the risk consultancy eurasia group has called an acute public relations crisis over khashoggis murder1 after more than two weeks of vehement denials saudi arabia has now admitted khashoggi was killed in the consulate1 in the past weeks turkish media and officials speaking to international media have said audio recordings prove khashoggi was tortured before being decapitated although no concrete evidence of their existence has emerged1 saudi foreign minister adel al-jubeir said tuesday the killing of a critic must never happen again as he pledged a thorough and complete investigation1 khashoggis killing fits the pattern of a recent crackdown on dissent in the kingdom in which clerics business high-fliers and women activists have been detained1 further stoking investor anxiety the kingdom is embroiled in an expensive war in yemen and is leading an embargo against neighbouring qatar1

Monkeys stone man to death in India
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a 72-year-old man dharampal singh has died in india after a group of monkeys threw bricks at him from a tree1 singh had been collecting pieces of dry wood before the incident in tikri uttar pradesh on thursday1 police said monkeys rained bricks on the man from a treetop after collecting them from a nearby dilapidated building the times of india reported1 the elderly man later died in hospital from sustained head and chest injuries1 villagers have repeatedly complained about aggressive monkeys in the area but the animals are a protected species1 mr singhs family are said to have put in a formal complaint about the incident to police1 the victims brother reportedly told the newspaper monkeys threw more than 20 bricks at dharampal on thursday1 he said they will now meet senior officials and request them to initiate action in this regard1

2019: Cross River Central vow to vote against APC, PDP
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so the people have resolved that this time it is their turn and are not ready to give listening ears to candidates from the other part of the district when they come for campaign he said1 many communities that make up the cross river central senatorial district have vowed to vote against the all progressives congress apc and the peoples democratic party pdp in the 2019 senatorial election1 the communities stressed that since the return of democracy in 1999 no son or daughter from their area had been given the opportunity to represent them despite the zoning formula practiced by both parties1 chief victor oyama a community leader from obubra local government area decried that people from the ikom area had been occupying the position for too long and it was time for the ticket to go to the other half of the senatorial district1 he urged the candidates from ikom to take an example from senator ben bruce who although being a first time senator respected the partys zoning formula and withdrew from contesting for a second term1 cross river central comprises the old ikom and the old obubra. these used to be local government areas until abi yakurr etung and boki were added to the two. but about 20 years now since the return of democracy old ikom has been occupying that position1 the other half of the senatorial district believe now is their turn to produce a senator as they have been patiently supporting the old ikom over the years to win the seat1 the apc and the pdp picked their candidates from the old ikom section of the district which has been providing the senator since the return of democracy but only sdp has moved to correct the injustice by fielding a candidate from old obubra1 we are going to vote massively for sdp because of that oyama said1 also speaking mr eval ejeje egbe from abi local government area faulted the lack of respect for zoning on the part of the ikom lga stressing that it was time the other lga had their own son or daughter representing them1 the senatorial district used to have just ikom and obubra lgas before the creation of other lgas1 obubra was divided into three same as ikom. ordinarily after ikom enjoys the senatorial seat it should swing to obubra but as it stands now the people of obubra are very angry and think they are being taken for a ride1 they have resolved to vote against any party that does not field a senatorial candidate from the old obubra1 in pdp and apc aspirants from obubra sought the ticket but they were sidestepped and the tickets of both parties went to persons from ikom despite outcries of marginalisation from the obubra people1 leaders from five communities in the district who spoke to our correspondent alleged that both pdp and apc had continued to marginalization marginalise them stressing that they would be massively supporting the social democratic party sdp1 the community leaders also faulted one of the candidates who is leaving the chairmanship of the niger delta development commission nddc to return to the senate lamenting that the candidate was shortchanging the entire cross river1 from the yakurr community mrs comfort okoi decried the the ikom people were doing the state more harm than good in aspiring for the senatorial position1 she lamented that one of the aspirants from ikom was abandoning his position in the niger delta development commission nddc a position which she said was more beneficial to the state than that of a senator which he now seeks1 he is the chairman of nddc yet he wants to drop it for the same senatorial seat the people of obubra have not tasted1 people have been telling him that he will be shortchanging cross river if he drops his plum position at nddc as it will automatically go to another state1 after being a senator for three terms he is now chairman of nddc which is bigger than a senate seat yet he wants to come and be struggling for the smaller opportunity for people of his senatorial district1 he wants to deprive cross river state of the opportunity of producing chairman of nddc and also deprive other people who are due to have one of their own in the senate1 we dont want ndoma egba at the senate we want him to remain as nddc chairman so he can be giving our people jobs and contracts. if he leaves that place a cross river indigene wont be appointed as replacement she said1 on his part mr enang asu from boki lga noted that the pdp candidate is from ikom the same lga of the governorship candidate of the apc owan enoh and the senatorial flag bearer1 if things go their way a local government would have produced the governor as well as senator in cross river. how then can the same lga produce his successor to the disadvantage of the other five lgas particularly those in the old obubra who havent tasted the seat since 19991 at the return of democracy in 1999 the first senator for cross river central was senator m. t. mbu from old ikom. he handed over to ndoma egba also from old ikom. ndoma egba was there for 12 years and handed over to another ikom man owan enoh who is there for another four years making it 20 years1 even ikom-born moses ojong expressed concerns the people of ikom had enjoyed the support of old obubra and as such it was time for power to change hands1 its true that the status quo favours us but some of our people are worried. for apc and pdp to field candidates from old ikom despite knowing the political history of cross river central seems as if they want to destroy the bond of brotherhood between obubra and ikom people1 the other section will now be thinking that all of us in old ikom are power grabbers and we fear that when they eventually occupy the senatorial seat they wouldnt want to hand over to our children. so justice should prevail he said1

Oshiomhole says APC conservatives ganging up against him
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indeed the message therein is very clear that the party and not pseudo political empires in the states has the power to superintend the primary elections for the nomination of the partys candidates in the general election1 the national chairman of the all progressives congress apc comrade adams oshiomhole on sunday alleged that conservatives within the party are ganging up to pass a vote of no-confidence in him1 he said he was not surprised by the gang up as he never had the illusion that the process of reforming the party was going to be an easy on one1 the full statement1 the all progressives congress apc under the national chairmanship of comrade adams oshiomhole is in safe hands as the party marches sure-footedly to victory in the 2019 general election. this is the overarching mission of the national working committee nwc of the party under his leadership1 to be clear comrade oshiomhole did not become national chairman of the governing party to bring it down a notch from the pedestal of its 2015 electoral victory let alone to preside over its liquidation1 rather his single-minded goal from the outset of his declaration of interest in the position was to deploy his capacity in helping to strengthen and reposition the party as a truly supreme and disciplined political entity1 although it might appear fortuitous to some persons that he became national chairman at the threshold of the 2019 general election the truth is that there is no accident in predestination. we must appreciate the fact that it has pleased the almighty god to place him in the saddle of apc leadership at this time for a purpose1 the purpose has begun to manifest in its vast flourish and ramifications instilling discipline ensuring party supremacy promoting due process dealing with impunity and executive arrogance wherever they manifest to undermine intra-party electoral processes in the states1 from the outset we never expected that those who cherished and supported the status quo which comrade oshiomhole supplanted would cave in easily under the magnitude of the current political revival that he spearheads. indeed while the progressives are enamoured of change the conservatives find it difficult to embrace it. that is the current reality in the deliberate effort to rebrand the apc1 again we were not in the least deluded that the process of rebranding or rewriting the narrative of the four-year old party would be easy. what we are witnessing in the apc today is comrade oshiomholes adroit management of the strains and pains that accompany the birth of a resuscitated governing party1 the leadership provided in the recently-held primary elections and the large-scale integrity of the processes are developments that should hence serve as exemplars in the administration of governing parties1 in a long statement by his press secretary simon ebegbulem oshiomhole said his sin was his refusal to allow continued impunity and circumvention of due process being perpetuated in some states1 while the party will not surrender its functions which are constitutionally circumscribed to any other entities it will always be ready to moderate the divergent tendencies and mediate the disparate political camps in the interest of party cohesion1 this is one of the hard-nosed truths that the comrade oshiomhole-led nwc preaches and practises with an apostolic zeal to the chagrin of some influential stakeholders in the states1 comrade oshiomhole envisions an apc that is capacitated to pragmatically build a corpus of leadership and membership that do not only submit to the high ideal of party supremacy but also the credo of party discipline1 these-party supremacy and discipline- are two fundamentals that had been eroded even before the emergence of the oshiomhole leadership. it is sad that while the national chairman is working round the clock some stakeholders have thrown selfish political agendas into the mix to threaten the building of institutional capacity for the apc1 the suggestion in some quarters especially by one of the presidential aspirants on the platform of the party alhaji mumakai unagha that the apc cannot win with oshiomhole is therefore unfair denigrating and baleful of comrade oshiomholes personal commitment to a rejuvenated winning machine that the apc typifies1 the totality of unaghas claims without necessarily addressing them one after the other tallies with cooked-up narratives being sponsored by some influential stakeholders in their respective states that comrade oshiomhole is responsible for all the problems in the apc at the moment1 these influential stakeholders according to grapevine have begun to mobilise to pass a no-confidence vote in the leadership of oshiomhole having failed to impose their preferred candidates on the party in the nomination process1 rather than resort to needless perfidy at the threshold of a general election we call on them to imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship bolstered by the fact that the oshiomhole leadership is propelled more by its interest in propriety in which victory for the party could be grounded1 the crime committed by comrade oshhiomholes leadership is its disdain for impunity and circumvention of due process perpetrated in some of the states at the pleasure of some influential stakeholders1 overall comrade oshiomhole has not since stepping in the saddle taken any unilateral decision in the running of the party affairs. all decisions so far taken passed through the mills of nwc deliberative sessions and enjoyed unanimous resolutions. the records are there. history will justify comrade oshiomhole and posterity will vindicate him1 therefore with eyes firmly fixed on the general election especially the re-election of president muhammadu buhari in the scheduled february 16 poll comrade oshiomhole assures all stakeholders in the apc of his respect for them. he assures them of his readiness to work with them for the good of the party1 the comrade chairman also proposes a common front in the general election and believes that the apc as a governing party will do a commemorative post mortem next year to appraise and reappraise the political developments and decisions that presaged the election which it would win emphatically1

APC expels Nnamani in Enugu
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former secretary to the enugu state government chief onyemauche nnamani has been expelled by his party the all progressives congress apc over alleged misconduct1 nnamanis expulsion was announced by the chairman of the apc in enugu dr ben nwoye on sunday1 according to nwoye nnamani who served as ssg during the reign of former governor chimaraoke nnamani was expelled for dragging the party to court1 nwoye noted that nnamani went to court without first ventilating his grievances through internal mechanisms provided in the partys constitution1 the development contravened provisions of article 21 of the apc constitution which deals with discipline of members nwoye said1 nnamani contested the position of apc national vice chairman south-east during the partys national convention1 the election was eventually won by the incumbent chief emma eneukwu1 nwoye disclosed that a petition filed by nnamani against the outcome of the election was dismissed by the national convention appeal committee1 the enugu apc chairman added that nnamani went ahead to drag the party and eneukwu to court over the same matter1 nnamani had in the suit claimed that eneukwu did not obtain any waiver that would allow him to contest the position during the convention1

NAFDAC confiscates 100 cartons of expired zero Coke in Katsina
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by shehu danjuma2 the national agency for food drug administration control nafdac in katsina state on monday confiscated about 100 cartons of expired beverage drink at a super market in katsina metropolis1 the state director of nafdac mr john agada made the disclosure in an interview with the news agency of nigeria nan on monday in katsina1 nafdac received a complaint from a consumer that a particular super market was selling expired zero coke1 when we visited the super market our officers found several cartons of zero coke which date of best use is june 20181 by implication it means that all the cartons of the zero coke are harmful and dangerous to the consumers and the owner of the super market was still in business selling the expired coke1 nafdac officers immediately impounded the cartons of zero coke as the best day for drinking them had expired. he said1 agada called on members of the public in the state to always look at the expiring date of any bottle of soft drink before consumption1 he warned owners and operators of super markets and provision stores to always check purchased items to avoid selling expired products to unsuspecting members of the public1 anybody caught selling expired items will face the full wrath of the law he said1

N-Power graduates to receive stipends beyond Dec. 2018
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the n-power is a job employment and empowerment scheme for hitherto unemployed nigerian graduates under the buhari administrations national social investment programmes n-sip2 the federal government has decided to continue paying the stipends of the n-power 2016 batch 1 beneficiaries beyond the expiry month of december 2018 the presidency said2 however akande said that beyond the payments of stipends the federal government is also exploring further options to seamlessly move the beneficiariesfrom the government job programme to positions where they were able to earn a sustainable income2 he said that the transition would be through a plan designed to enable them become valuable all-rounded employees employers or entrepreneurs2 the plan is basically an extension of the exit date of december 2018 for the first batch of 200000 to enable them continue to offer their valuable services in their various communities while still earning their stipends2 they are also to partake in the enhancement programme that would seamlessly transition them into numerous economic opportunities in both the public and private sectors of the economy2 the statement issued by laolu akande senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity office of the vice president on monday in abuja said funding for the continued payments is contained in the 2018 budget2 the scheme is the largest post-tertiary employment programme in africa comprising n-power beneficiaries that are paid a monthly stipend of n30 000 and are deployed as volunteers into various sectors of need in the public space such as health agriculture education and public finance2 for the first time in nigeria the n-power beneficiaries applied and were selected for the programme in an objective efficient and transparent manner without the need for connections to anyone of influence he said2 he said that based on conservative projections the n-power scheme would provide jobs for at least 10 million nigerians by 20232 akande said that since it commenced in 2016 the n-power scheme which had beneficiaries in all the lgas of the 36 states of the federation and the fct had so far provided jobs for half a million young nigerian graduates nationwide2 he said that all the n-power beneficiaries were given the opportunity to select and own electronic devices for continuous learning as they grew depending on the selected vocations of entrepreneurship and to boost the knowledge economy2

Chimamanda calls Melania Trump racist
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when asked why she passionately fights for feminism and not racism despite being black adichie stated that she always finds the need to make a case for feminism1 acclaimed nigerian author chimamanda adichie has described united states first lady melania trump as racist1 when asked if she thought melania trump was racist she answered in the positive with reference to melanias recent visit to africa1 she said had you asked me this question yesterday i would have said yes and my evidence would be that she supported her husband when he was being incredibly racist to barack obama1 but i just watched an interview that she gave and i was just appalled by it. she sort of stepped out of a colonial 1750 guidebook about how to be in africa1 theres a pith helmet and then i am thinking maybe this is supposed to be ironic maybe it is a critique of colonialism1 she really thought this is what you do when you go to africa and it says something about someone who is so removed from reality adichie said1 adichie went on to reference a jacket melania wore to one of the us children immigration camps which read i really dont care do you and caused a media frenzy1 she said and i remember when the media made a lot of noise about that jacket. i remember actually kind of being on her side when all that noise was happening1 i thought she doesnt know she couldnt possibly do this knowingly. she did so the answer to your question is yes. i think she is racist adichie said1 adichie made the statement in a recent interview with international magazine esquire uk where she talked about her stance on feminism melania trumps visit to africa and racism1 she said in my own personal space the people i love my family and friends all get race. so i have never with them had to make a case for why something was racist1 so i am with my circle of friends and something happens to do with blackness and immediately we all get it1 but with gender i find that with the people i love i am constantly being expected to make the case the ways in which women are reduced1 and it gets emotionally exhausting because i dont feel that i have the kind of effortless support that i have when i talk about race adichie said1 adichie an award winning writer has constantly used her voice and books to advocate for equal opportunities for men and women1 adichie trended in april when she said she was upset that the twitter bio of former us presidential candidate hillary clinton began with wife despite her numerous achievements1 nan reports that adichies feminism campaign has been a pivotal crux of her writing as her characters centre around powerful women who are usually dwarfed by the patriarchal system in their environments1 her tedx talk we should all be feminists was sampled on american singer beyonces hit song flawless and was also part of beyonces performance routine at 2018 coachella1 in 2017 adichie released a small book titled dear ijeawele or a feminist manifesto in fifteen suggestions1

23 killed in Kaduna crisis
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the kaduna state emergency management agency sema has disclosed that 23 people were killed and 17 injured in various parts of kaduna metropolis during the violence that took place on sunday1 with 55 people killed in karuwan magani on friday a total of 78 people died in the senseless violence1 the executive secretary sema ben kure gave the latest death toll on monday during a tour of affected areas1 according to him no society can progress without peace which is an essential ingredient of development and harmonious coexistence1 the executive secretary commiserated with the injured while extending condolences to the families of the bereaved1 he said the state government was committed to providing security for all and ensuring conducive environment for all to live peacefully1 kure thanked the state governor malam nasir el-rufai for his unflinching support to the agency1 after touring kaduna metropolis the sema boss also visited kasuwan magani where 55 people were reportedly killed on thursday to present relief materials to the affected families1 kure called on the people of the state to embrace peace and shun violence1

Kaduna curfew for review tomorrow: El-Rufai
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the 24-hour curfew slammed on kaduna metropolis will be reviewed on tuesday in view of the return of normalcy governor nasir el-rufai said in a special broadcast today1 the governor said that the state security council would meet on tuesday morning to review the security situation and possibly reduce the hours of the curfew1 in the broadcast el-rufai lauded the massive support of communities in ending the violent clashes that engulfed kaduna the state capital on sunday1 he said the government remains committed to ensuring lasting peace across the state1 the support of communities has been reassuring he said adding that they must also reject those who incite violence and divide us1 the governor cautioned residents against spreading rumour and fake news which contributed largely to the violence1 the governor said security agents have been directed to escort travellers passing through kaduna to the outskirts of the town so as not to impede their journey1 el-rufai assured that the government would vigorously pursue the prosecution of all those apprehended in the course of the recent violence across the state including the 65 being prosecuted over an earlier violence in kasuwan magani in february1 el-rufai who commended security agents for their professionalism in containing the violence however stressed that the ultimate guarantee to peace lies in the willingness of all to live in peace and resolve misunderstandings amicably1

Kaduna curfew: Trapped journalists, civil servants recount ordeal
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mallam abdullahi mohammed who works at the federal ministry of agriculture abuja told nan that he was forced to remain indoors in kaduna since police are patrolling our area1 journalists and civil servants trapped by the imposition of an emergency 24-hour curfew by the kaduna state government on sunday have recounted their ordeal1 mr john fwah publisher of newsontime an online media platform was among the journalists who spent the night at the nuj secretariat. he said it was not an easy experience1 there was no water no food we have to share two loaves of bread among the five of us stranded there we took it with lipton tea in the night and this morning before some soldiers on patrol took us home at about 11 am1 i couldnt sleep until at about 5 am. thank god we were able to communicate with our families to assure them that we were safe fwah said1 fwah said he had just left the polo club where a tournament was taking place when he heard about the crisis in parts of the town and the declaration of a 24-hour curfew. he quickly sought refuge at the nuj secretariat nearby1 on monday fwah and his colleagues were taken to their various homes by security men1 i have just left the nuj idp camp it was an uneasy experience. i now know what it means to live in an idp camp1 a senior reporter with kaduna state television mr joseph zango said he had just closed from work at the station when the the 24-hour curfew was announced1 amidst the confusion it was difficult for me to get home so i headed to the nuj secretariat where i met seven other journalists including two ladies who were later evacuated by a relative nearby leaving five of us1 we slept there until a team of soldiers evacuated us and took each of us home1 another reporter stella kabruk said she had to abandon the coverage of the polo tournament and head for home when people began running helter-skelter1 unfortunately when i inquired about the cause of the pandemonium i was told that there was crisis in sabo area of the town and that is where i live1 i had to drive home through safer routes and along the way i saw some vehicles burning and i later learnt that some innocent people lost their lives1 mr idris abdulrahman the editor-in-chief of the news agency of nigeria in abuja had visited his family in kaduna. he said his plans were completely upset by the curfew drama1 this has thrown me off balance because i planned to pass only one night in kaduna but now im forced to seek alternative arrangements to keep my family safe1 my visit was casual to see my family after weeks of absence from them. this curfew has thrown up a big challenge to me and many others1 it has disrupted my official engagements in abuja and caused me some unexpected expenses at home1 abdulrahman said he attempted driving out of the town in the morning but was stopped by fierce-looking security men who would not listen to any explanation1 it was also a tale of woes for some federal government civil servants who planned to return to work in abuja after the weekend. they found themselves stranded in kaduna1 several of the journalists who were away from home when the curfew was declared sunday afternoon virtually putting the vibrant city in a lockdown said they took refuge at the secretariat of the nigeria union of journalists nuj1 this crisis and the attendant curfew have disrupted my plans. i wanted to get to abuja by 9 a.m. but now i have to review my plans to accommodate buying enough foodstuffs for my family1 security agents have virtually taken over strategic areas of the highways and areas mostly hit by the crisis1 malam ado abdulmalik a politician heading to abuja narrated his experience saying those security men would not even listen if you have an emergency1 i could not even go to railway station few metres from my house to board it to abuja because police are patrolling everywhere1 the curfew has crippled commercial and social activities with hundreds of federal government workers businessmen and women politicians on transit to abuja stranded due to the enforcement of the restriction on movement1 a cross section of residents who spoke with nan expressed shock and frustration over the escalation of the crisis and sudden declaration of curfew1 some of the residents who spoke in separate interviews with the nan lamented the shutdown of economic activities adding that residents have inadequate food in their homes as they were not prepared for the curfew1 martha ayuba a housewife said there are no business activities going on as they cannot buy food ingredients1 this is an unfortunate situation as preparation was not made for the curfew. i hope the curfew does not last for another 24 hours because all shops are closed and one cannot buy what he needs1 we prayed for calm and peace to be restored in the state because in situations like this people need each other and not violence1 mrs jummai bako a businesswoman said the curfew has affected her because she earns her daily bread selling foodstuffs1 i cant go out to sell my foodstuffs in the shop because of the curfew1 i have fresh tomatoes and pepper in the shop that if i dont sell them i will lose1 also some civil servants lamented the imposition of curfew adding that most workers were yet to receive their salaries so they were unprepared and had not done their monthly stockpiling of food stuff1 nan reports the usual monday market where most residents converge to buy foodstuffs was deserted1 the residents demanded the arrest of those behind the attacks that claimed many lives in karuwan magani describing the imposition of the curfew as an unpleasant situation1 we will continue to plead with everyone especially our youths to conduct themselves within the provisions of the law and to not to engage in acts that will disrupt the peace of the state1 meanwhile uneasy calm is being observed in many parts of the town as areas such as sabo barnawa narayi malali central market area and unguwar muazu look desolate1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that after the deadly fracas at karuwan magani the spill-over crisis was ignited in maraban rido and sabo a densely populated area prompting the imposition of the curfew by gov. nasir el-rufai1 the governors senior special assistant on media and publicity samuel aruwan said the measure was to curb further breakdown of law and order1

FG, UAE, partner to develop Artificial Intelligence
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by gabriel agbeja1 artificial intelligence ai is set to take root in nigeria as the federal government and united arab emirates uae partner to harness capabilities in the country1 artificial intelligence is a branch of computer science that deals with the simulation of intelligent behaviour in computers or computer-controlled robots to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings1 dr ogbonnaya onu minister of science and technology while receiving the uae ambassador mr obaid mohamed on monday in abuja said contributions from uae would fast-track development of artificial intelligence1 the term is frequently applied to the project of developing systems with the ability to reason and discover meaning among others1 contributions from uae would help to fast-track development of artificial intelligence in nigeria1 onu said developing ai in the country would also enable nigeria to take its rightful place in the comity of nation1 for his part mohamed said uae had been producing ai for quite some time and would be happy to collaborate with the federal government to develop the technology in nigeria1 he said that uae would like to partner with the federal government on renewable energy to improve electricity supply in nigeria. nan1

Barcelona sweat over Messis injury
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afp25 barcelona now face an anxious wait over the arm injury suffered by their talismanic player lionel messi especially as the clasico against real madrid comes up next weekend1 in the 26th minute at the camp nou he awkwardly fell on his right arm his right arm but not before the argentinian had doubled barcas lead with a curling left-footed finish1 philippe coutinho had opened the scoring and luis suarezs penalty which he also earned made sure of victory before a three-goal flurry in the final 11 minutes1 pablo sarabia and luis muriel twice reduced the deficit to two either side of a sweeping volley from ivan rakitic1 any joy at jumping above in-form sevilla however was tarnished by the injury to messi1 before the clash against madrid next sunday inter milan visit in the champions league on wednesday but messis involvement there would seem unlikely1 he fell to the ground following a tussle with sevillas franco vazquez and as his right hand tried to cushion the landing his elbow appeared to buckle1 messi was helped off the pitch by medical staff and despite having his right arm heavily strapped while barca played for nine minutes with 10 men he finally trudged off down the tunnel1 if the injury proves serious the timing could hardly be worse given ernesto valverdes team face a difficult run of fixtures over the next month1 up till the 26th minute when he was substituted messi was pivotal in the game against sevilla at camp nou. he scored and then went off injured as barcelona beat sevilla 4-2 on saturday to move back to the top of la liga1 even without messi they might be confident of seeing off madrid whose early-season dip has only deepened while barcelona have sparked a rival1 since drawing at home to athletic bilbao last month to make it three games without a win they have blown tottenham away at wembley taken a point away to valencia and now eased past sevilla who came into the weekend top of the table1 barca fans had chanted dont touch the badge before kick-off after president josep maria bartomeu had announced earlier on saturday that plans to change the club crest had been shelved1 they were soon celebrating a goal too as coutinho bent a sumptuous right-footed shot into the far corner with only two minutes on the clock1 messi doubled the advantage racing clear on the counter-attack before jinking inside and curling into the bottom corner with his left foot. it was his last significant contribution1 ousmane dembele was his replacement but suarez took on the mantle too quick to his own heavy touch and brought down by sevilla goalkeeper tomas vaclik. suarez buried the penalty1 the game seemed up but marc-andre ter stegen had to make a brilliant double save to deny sarabia and then wissam ben yedder with his thigh1 sarabia gave sevilla hope with 11 minutes left his shot deflecting off clement lenglet and in but rakitic ensured there was to be no late drama with a well-timed volley. muriel added what proved only to be a consolation in injury time1 after inter and real whose poor form continued with a loss at home to levante earlier on saturday barcas schedule includes the return tie against inter in italy as well as la liga games against real betis and atletico madrid1

Miserable debut for Henry at Monaco, lose at Strasbourg
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but i want to keep positive despite the negatives otherwise you dont move forward and the positive thing is that we tried to keep playing even with 101 thierry henry suffered defeat in his first match as a head coach when his 10-man monaco side slumped to a 2-1 loss at strasbourg on saturday to drop into the ligue 1 relegation zone1 monaco who were runners-up to psg last season are now 24 points adrift of the reigning champions after they cruised to a 5-0 thrashing of amiens at the parc des princes despite resting several key players1 a dreadful error by monacos third-choice goalkeeper seydou sy gifted strasbourg midfielder adrien thomasson an early opener and substitute samuel grandsir was sent off midway through the second half1 lebo mothiba doubled the advantage and a late youri tielemans penalty was a mere consolation for the 2017 ligue 1 title-winners1 it wasnt easy we tried to put something in place which worked at the beginning and then we conceded that goal that i dont need to describe human error i dont want to wipe the floor with anyone said the 41-year-old henry1 then we tried to change the game and unfortunately sam grandsir is sent off. after that it was even harder1 the principality club have failed to win in 11 games in all competitions since the opening weekend of the french top-flight season and are only above bottom team guingamp on goal difference1 henry a world cup winner and arsenals all-time record goalscorer who started his playing career at monaco made four changes to the team which lost to rennes before the international break with former manchester city and inter milan striker stevan jovetic restored up front1 but his new side got off to the worst possible start as they handed strasbourg a 17th-minute lead1 kenny lalas long ball forward was nodded hopefully towards goal by thomasson but senegalese keeper sy who was only playing due to injures to diego benaglio and danijel subasic comically fumbled the ball over his own line1 a disappointing first half ended poorly for henry and monaco as captain and star striker radamel falcao was forced off injured1 it was proving a miserable debut for henry as just two minutes after being brought on as a substitute grandsir was given a straight red card for catching anthony goncalves in the hip with a high boot with the strasbourg winger collapsing to the ground holding his face1 as the visitors pushed for an equaliser they were hit on the counter-attack in the 84th minute as south african international mothiba raced clear before a cute lob gave him his seventh goal of the season for club and country1 tielemans pulled one back with an injury-time spot-kick after moussa sylla was brought down in the area but it proved too little too late1

Kaduna killings: Buhari tells Nigerians to opt for peace, not violence
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the clashes followed a dispute among wheelbarrow porters2 president muhammadu buhari has condemned the latest communal violence in kasuwan magani in kajuru local government of kaduna state which claimed 55 lives2 according to the president no culture and religion support the disregard for the sanctity of life adding that peaceful coexistence is necessary for the progress of any society and its wellbeing2 he noted that without communal harmony the environment for the conduct of our everyday businesses would be impossible to achieve2 president buhari explained that violence cannot be an alternative to peace. on the contrary reliance on violence leads to ultimate self-destruction. violence is an ill wind that blows nobody any good. embracing peace is a necessity2 in commending the kaduna state government for its rapid response to the crisis the president appealed to community leaders to engage in regular dialogue to nip imminent crises in the bud while admonishing the people to develop the spirit of tolerance and patience at all times2 according to reports the latest killings in kaduna resulted from the clashes between young christians and muslims in kasuwan magani market2 reacting to the violent clashes president buhari said the frequent resort to bloodshedby nigerians over misunderstandings that can be resolved peacefully is worrisome2 two persons were said to have been killed in the market fracas on thursday. the violence was temporarily halted by police but christian youth later mobilised and attacked hausa residents burning homes2 most of the killings were done in the second attack which took the hausa community off guard said muhammadu bala a kasuwar magani resident who lost his home2 kaduna state police commissioner ahmad abdur-rahman told reporters on friday 22 people had been arrested in connection with the violence2 the kaduna state government also imposed a round-the-clock curfew in kasuwan magani on friday2 a similar crisis in february left at least 10 people dead and hundreds of homes and businesses burnt2 over 60 people are facing charges over the february violence2

Just In: Messi out for 3 weeks, to miss El Clasico
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tests carried out by fc barcelona doctors on leo messi their most valuable player and captain have confirmed that he has a fracture of the radial bone in his right arm1 he will be out for approximately three weeks the club announced on their website on saturday night1 despite 4-2 win against sevilla at camp nou on saturday messi was substituted in the 26th minute after falling awkwardly in midfield and injuring his arm1 the argentine had been decisive in the early stages of the win providing an assist for coutinhos opener and then adding a second himself1 according to barcelona fc messi could miss up to six matches among which will be the el clasico with real madrid on 28 october1 messi will also miss the champions league match against inter milan on 24 october1 other matches are cultural leonesa 31 october rayo vallecano 3 november inter milan 6 november and betis 11 november1 after these six games three in the league two in the champions league and one in the copa del rey there is a break for international matches so the argentine could be fit to return on 24 november against atltico madrid the club said1

Momoh deplores treasury looting
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one of the greatest challenges facing nigeria today is the threat to national unity as centrifugal tensions resource control and self-determination ethnicity-based identity politics and religious cleavages have enveloped national consciousness he said1 mr john momoh chairman broadcasting organisations of nigeria bon has castigated many politicians for considering the treasury as tool for enrichment1 once an access to public funds is created its misuse and its abuse begin in earnest1 while there may be some accountability at the federal level theres little or none at the state and local government levels1 momoh explained that the results of the activities of such individuals have been failed promises poverty lack of economic development deprivation and insecurity1 the people are alienated from government at all levels. its like we are back to colonialism where the politicians are the colonial masters and the people the subjects he stressed1 momoh who is also the chairmanceo of channels media group identified the threat to national unity as one of the greatest challenges facing the country1 theres hardly any distinction as have been shown in many cases in the past between their private purse and that of the public he stated in a speech at the sixth convocation of the afe balalola university ado ekiti1 the bon chairman believes the issue of ethnicity and the exploitation of its residual gain has been existing in the nation since inception1 he faulted some politicians whom he said were placing private interests above common and national interests contrary to their campaign promises1 according to the media guru this has led to lip service and a slow pace of development in the country1 the channels tv boss however said he was aware of the conscious efforts being made at different levels to resolve the challenges facing the country1 he therefore advised the youths to believe in themselves and be willing to adapt to any situation as they remain the hope of the country1 i encourage you to have faith in your country and defend it said momoh. the future of nigeria lives in and rests on you1 he added every of your effort in deconstructing nigerias conundrum for national integration cohesion and transformation would position you for national greatness1

South Africa planning incentives to revive ailing economy
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davies said the government was worried about the continuing trade spat between the us and china and its impact on south africas exports to the us1 embattled south africa is planning to introduce new incentives in key industrial sectors and reduced red-tape in order to revive the countrys moribund economy1 trade and industry minister rob davies said the government would target industries such as auto and agro-processing and continental trade relations as part of a package to draw investors back to south africa1 he said the state had also reviewed its bureaucratic red tape to make it easier for investors to start new businesses in the country1 some of them incentives are sectoral we have the motor programme the clothing and textile programme we also have a business processing services programme as well as the agro-processing programme davies said1 there are also tax incentives. there are specific incentives that apply to the special economic zones sez1 in addition the department of trade and industry provides infrastructure and support for the institution of the sez1 in addition to that there is a tax incentive for companies that invest in the sez. there is a suite of incentives which we communicate to investors domestic and foreign which are crucial for making investment decisions1 in a frank and wide-ranging interview ahead of the investment summit next week davies painted a bleak future for the south african economy saying yesterday that next weeks presidential summit and the medium-term budget policy statement would help kick-start the economy1 davies conceded that some of south africas economic problems were self-inflicted pointing to rampant corruption and state capture that had turned investors away1 he said key government institutions were also performing below their capacity and that this had undermined investor confidence in the country1 our abilities to influence the economy have been weakened he said. some of those include for example tenders that have been problematic and were given to consortiums involved in imports rather than manufacturing locally1 the economy which got into technical recession recently is getting messier because of the increasingly hostile international trade environment1 he said there were plans to increase the local content of assembled cars to 60percent by 2035 from the current 38percent1 south africa fell into a technical recession after recording negative growth in the second quarter and unemployment rising above 27percent as output in the manufacturing and mining sectors stagnated1 the country also had to grapple with policy uncertainties and inconsistencies onerous regulations which curtailed growth1 davies said without mentioning the sa revenue service by name that the outlook in the immediate and medium term would remain bleak as revenue collection was expected to come under pressure1 he said the government was moving with speed to address investor concerns and had already taken steps to return create certainty in renewable energy and gazetting the revised mining charter1 all of these have resulted in an improvement in the investment pipeline davies said1 the investment summit will showcase important investment announcements and it will also be an opportunity to engage investors1 there is an appreciation for a new dawn and a willingness to realise opportunities that were put on hold in the recent past rather than being pushed forward1 president cyril ramaphosa announced a bold plan to attract 100 billion r1.42 trillion of investment for the country in the next five years in april1 ramaphosa also appointed envoys including afropulse chairperson phumzile langeni standard bank group chief executive jaco maree former finance minister trevor manuel and former deputy finance minister mcebisi jonas to champion the investments drive1 davies said the government had targeted industries such as mining agriculture and mining to kick-start the economy1 he said the government also planned to seize the opportunities presented by regional integration and the establishment of an african continental free trade area to produce more goods for other african markets1

Video: Nnamdi Kanu sighted in Israel
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photo and video of leader of proscribed indigenous people of biafra ipob nnamdi knau has surfaced showing where he is praying in jerusalem israel2 the photos and videos were shared online by radio biafra2 kanu went missing in september last year after the military invaded his home in abia state and there had not been any trace of him until now2 he was declared missing by his community in abia state after the alleged operation python dance ii operation by the nigerian army in the south east2 many relatives of kanu had also been allegedly declared missing by the afara community in umuahia following the invasion of his home by the nigerian army2 click to watch the video2