FG to Establish 6 Trauma Centres

AS part of measures to tackle emergencies in the country, the Federal Ministry of Health has concluded arrangement to establish six first-class trauma centres in the six geo-political zones in the country before the end of the year.

The Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, who disclosed this on Monday at a workshop on Enhancing Health Management Delivery in Jos, Plateau State, said other areas of emphasis by the ministry are human capacity building and provision of state-of- the-art equipment for emergency health services.

He stated that pre-service training would provide the feeder to the pool of human resource necessary to mount health emergency response to enable participation in Integrated Emergency Management, involving the six components of Anticipation, Assessment of Risk, Prevention, Preparation, Response and Recovery.

The minister, represented by the Director of Special Project in the ministry, Dr Michael Arene, said the current security challenges, crises and disasters had strengthened the resolve of the Federal Government to put in place, structures, processes and procedures that would address health emergencies from the household, community, local government, states to the national levels.

Onyebuchi frowned on a situation where the various stakeholders in emergency management do not work together as a team, adding that such had produced poor outcome, in which unnecessary deaths of victims were recorded as a result individualistic approach to emergency management.

The stakeholders at the workshop include representatives of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigeria Police, the Fire Service, Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Ministry or Environment and the media.

SOURCE-http://news.naij.com/12567.html

Apple Unveils the iPad Mini

With rumors circulating for months and techies across the world waiting with bated breath, Apple finally announced the arrival of its iPad Mini today at the California Theatre in San Jose, Calif.

The smaller version of the iPad can be held in one hand, is as thin as a pencil -- 7.2 millimeters (about one-quarter inch) -- and features an entirely new design. It also weighs 0.68 pounds, 53 percent lighter than the third-generation iPad.

Light as a pad of paper, the iPad Mini will come in black and white and has a 7.9-inch multi-touch screen. Apple's more than 250,000 iPad-designed apps can be used on the Mini.

"Others have tried to make tablets smaller than the iPad, but they have failed miserably," said Phillip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing. "What does the other platform have? Phone applications stretched up."

The Mini will offer a dual-core A5 chip, Facetime HD camera, 5MP iSight camera on the back, 802.11 a/b/g/n wifi, a Lightning connector and 10 hours of battery life. It will also come with iOS 6, Apple's mobile operating system with more than 200 features.

Schiller said the Mini was "every inch an iPad."

Starting with 16GB of memory, the Mini will go on sale for $329. It will go on preorder Friday and ship Nov. 2.

During today's presentation, Apple also introduced several new Mac computers, including a new version of its 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display and a Mac Mini desktop, as well as a fourth-generation iPad with an 9.7-inch Retina display, a new Apple-designed A6X chip and speedier wireless performance.

The MacBook Pro will be 3.57 pounds, 20 percent thinner than the previous version and the lightest MacBook pro. While it will have no optical drive, it will feature MacSafe 2, Thunderbolt, USB 3.0 and a Retina display.

It will go on sale for $1,699 for the i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 128 GB solid state drive. The latest version of the MacBook Pro will ship today.

source- http://news.yahoo.com/apple-unveils-ipad-mini-194133392--abc-news-tech.html

Aftermath of Mo Ibrahim Report- Sierra Leone seeks change

After the release of the sixth edition of the Mo Ibrahim's Index of Africa Governance (IIAG) report for 2012, the Human Right Commission of Sierra Leone (HRC-SL) has noted that it still looks forward to when Sierra Leone will reach its highest peak in the world's human rights index.

Though Sierra Leone was ranked 20th out of 52 African nations in the latest IIAG report, HRC-SL public relations officer, Henry Sheku, said the result is an indication that the country is making progress but is yet to reach the target peak. He said the commission is pleased with the report but they are trying all they could, as human rights activists, to ensure that Sierra Leone reaches their stipulated point as one of the world's top five human rights nations.

"Even though we have been advocating for international human rights laws to be domesticated by the Sierra Leone parliament, there are more challenges to face. They (parliament) however did their best in passing the Sexual Offences Bill. We look forward to the next parliament and government to pass into law other international treaties as governance is a continuous process," he said.

According to Sheku, the HRC-SL is faced with some difficulties particularly in reporting on human rights violations in rural areas, noting that the police should be capacitated with enough resources to carry out their functions as a real agent of any state. He noted that the police in the provinces, especially those at Blama and the Daru police station in the Kenema district, lack communication equipment and are faced with many difficulties in their bid to report on human rights violation to the HRC-SL.

"The Blama and the Daru police stations lack communication equipment and accused persons are overcrowded in the prison even though every accused person has a right to fair trial. The prison department should be capacitated with personnel resources too," Sheku said and urged the government and the entire executive of the Sierra Leone Police force to provide adequate resources for the police as the crime rate is increasing everyday especially in Bumbuna where they lack communication equipment to prevent crimes.

source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201210221091.html

Customs arrest FAAN staff for money courier

The Nigeria Customs Service says it has arrested a member of staff of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) for alleged money courier.The staff, identified as Adetula .A. with duty tag number 32120 posted to Gate D41 boarding gate of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos was arrested for illegal courier of $1.4 million.

The Comptroller of Customs, Airport Command Lagos, Mr Charles Edike who confirmed the arrest to our correspondent, Bola Frazer, explained that the service had been on the trail of some airport officials who aid the courier of local and foreign currencies to beat security checks.

Mr Edike however added that the suspect and currency have been handed over to officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

culled from-http://www.channelstv.com/home/2012/10/22/customs-arrest-faan-staff-for-money-courier/

FAAN Names Dana Airlines Best Domestic Carrier for 2011

Barely four months after a disastrously plane crash that claims the lives of 153 people,  the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has named Dana Air as the best domestic carrier for 2011.

According to FAAN’s Regional General Manager, Mr. Chris Bature, said the airline is yet to commence flights since the crash but was awarded the prize for its good customer relations and prompt payment of dues. The Federal Government seized Dana Air’s license following the air disaster, but restored the license 93 days after the crash.

Speaking at the occasion, Bature stated that the airline was selected because of its outstanding performance and punctuality while Lufthansa Airlines was also selected as the best international carrier for the same period. He explained that “mode of selection includes passenger capacity, frequency of the landing and take-off, their response to payment of bills.” “Among the domestic carriers, they were the best. They had the best volume; they were punctual in their operations” he added.

Reacting to a question on the timing of the award which is coming four months after the June 3 Dana Air crash, Mr Bature explained that the award would have taken place earlier in the year and that the reward came after the operator’s license had been restored. “In all fairness, they did their best and we need to recognize that and encourage them to get back to their feet,” he added.

Dana’s Station Manager at the Nnamdi Azikwe Airport in Abuja, Mr. Kayode Adeniran, stated that the airline’s commitment to best customer service and timely departure earned its the award. “We have this policy in our company that we must not delay passengers, we have introduced another type of system. If your flight is delayed by 40 minutes, we give refreshments to all passengers that already had their boarding passes. So people will be impressed by our service” he said. He however lamented the loss of lives by the crash, stressing that the operator visited and commiserated with the families of the deceased.

To prevent such a recurrence, the station manager revealed that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has embarked on series of investigation to ascertain when the airline would be allowed to commence operations following the lifting of the ban on the airline by the federal government. He noted that the airline has commenced demonstration flights as stipulated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and that the operation would run until NCAA certifies the carrier fit to resume full operations.

The Dana Air crash on June 3, killed the entire 153 passengers and crew members on board and a number of people as the plane crashed into a densely populated area of Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos state. A number of buildings were also destroyed by the crash.

Culled from http://www.channelstv.com/home/2012/10/22/faan-names-dana-airline-as-best-domestic-airline-in-nigeria/

Protest As First Abortion Clinic Opens in Northern Ireland

Hundreds of pro-life campaigners protested outside the first ever private abortion clinic in Northern Ireland as it opened to the public on Thursday.

Around 200 protesters brandishing placards saying “Life is precious” and showing photographs of foetuses were gathered outside the privately run Marie Stopes clinic in central Belfast.

One banner read: “Abortion? The people of Northern Ireland say ‘not in my name’.”

Police have warned the media to avoid photographing or filming the faces of any clients or staff entering the clinic, which is housed in a nondescript building. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said any film or pictures identifying anyone going into the building would be a breach of British law and the European Convention on Human Rights.

One protester, James Dowson, who had travelled from Scotland to represent the UK Life League, said the clinic was “a money-making business” and “a gruesome deadly business that deals with the killing of unborn children”.

source: http://news.naij.com/12048.html

Youth unemployment in Coleraine rises by 325%

The number of young people in Coleraine who are long-term unemployed has increased dramatically since the start of the recession, warns a new paper by youth charity The Prince’s Trust. The research shows how the number of young people claiming Job Seekers Allowance for six months or more in Coleraine has risen by 325% in the last four years.

In response to this steep rise in long-term joblessness, Prince’s Trust Ambassadors Alesha Dixon, Mark Ronson, Brooke Kinsella and SBTV-founder Jamal Edwards, will take part in the charity’s first live-streamed Youth Forum - reaching out to unemployed young people and those struggling with other issues in the UK today.

Ian Jeffers, Director with The Prince’s Trust in Northern Ireland, says: “Our message is that success is achievable - even in the face of rising long-term unemployment. This is a way for young people to hear from some famous faces who have achieved success against the odds themselves.”

Last year The Prince’s Trust supported over 3,000 disadvantaged young people throughout Northern Ireland and over 78% of those who completed programmes progressed into education, training and employment.

source:http://www.colerainetimes.co.uk/news/local/youth-unemployment-in-coleraine-rises-by-325-report-1-4374036

UNESCO report highlights need for youth skills development

The 10th edition of UNESCO Education For All Global Monitoring Report launched yesterday states the urgent need for action in support of skills development for young people .

The Report titled "Youth, Skills and the World of Work" was launched by the UNESCO Commission in partnership with ILO, UNDP and UN. It was held yesterday at the Youth Affairs and Skills Development Ministry with Youth Affairs and Skills Development Minister Dullas Alahapperuma as Chief Guest. The report shows how vital it is to ensure that all young people have the skills they need to prosper. However, across the world there is a lost generation of 200 million young people who are leaving school without the skills they need. Many are living in urban poverty or in remote rural communities and young women in particular are unemployed or working for low pay. They need to be given a second chance to achieve their potential.

The report monitors education for all goals across more than 200 countries and territories and it shows that progress is stalling just when increased urgency should be fueling a final push towards the 2015 deadline.

The report identifies the ten most important steps that should be taken to develop youth skills. According to the report, it is necessary to provide second -chance education for those with or no foundation skills, tackle the barriers that limit access to lower secondary school, make upper secondary education more accessible to the disadvantaged and improve its relevance to work, give poor urban youth access to skills training for better jobs, aim policies and programmes at youth in deprived rural areas, link skills training with social protection for the poorest youth, prioritize the training needs of disadvantaged young women, harness the potential of technology to enhance opportunities for young people, improve planning by restrengthening data collection and coordination of skills programmes and mobilize additional funding from diverse sources dedicated to the training needs of disadvantaged youth.

SOURCE http://www.dailynews.lk/2012/10/17/news25.asp

UK Market Report claims youth driving the Indian Wine Market

If the report released by the British market survey company Canadean is accurate, the country’s wine consumption is being incredibly driven by youth with young adults between the age of 16-34 years representing 46.5% of the drinking population which naturally includes a sizeable chunk of illegal consumers as most states have the drinking age of 21 years with states like Delhi and Punjab pegging it at even 25 years.

According to the report, on the Indian Wine Market, early young adults of 16-24 years were the highest consumers, among various age groups, at 25 %. The next category between 25-34 years consumed 21.6%, says the report in Drinks Business Review. Some of the other interesting discoveries of the report are: · Changing age structures has been the most influencing trend with 41%, while fun and enjoyment came next with 32%. · Whereas the affluent section formed 43% of the market, the highly affluent held only 13% share. · Consumers having one to three hours of leisure time held 44% share while those having more than seven hours formed 4%. · The higher the education, the more the consumption of wine; consumers with a postgraduate qualification accounted for 64% of the wine drinkers while the consumers with only primary level education have been only 0.8%. ‘This report provides the results for the wine market in India, from Canadean’s unique, highly detailed and proprietary online survey of consumers’ Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) consumption habits, and forms part of an overall series covering all CPG product markets,’ according to the Canadean website. One of the interesting revelations is the consumption pattern of the type of wines; ‘among the two categories of the wine market, still wine dominated with 59.7%, and sparkling wine held 40.3%’. However, the report would be music to the ears of the Indian wine producers/ marketers like Turning Point who are betting on the age segment of 21-35 years driving the wine consumption in future and are focusing on this segment. It would perhaps also validate the increase in production and the growth of the lower priced wines in the Rs.150-300 price category across the production spectrum with more and more producers adding cheaper wines to their portfolio- sometimes bottling the same liquid in a bottle with a cheaper label to increase  the sales. No doubt, we have many people in India  who believe that any report that comes from the British Island must be the Gospel Truth. Since we don’t have a sophisticated system of conducting surveys in the wine market due to the choking regulations, one may be an optimist and hope some of this information will become public knowledge. Perhaps the detailed report would also provide some specific details of the sparkling wine which supposedly forms 40.3% of the Indian wine market. SOURCE http://www.indianwineacademy.com/item_4_524.aspx

NAMA TO USE WINDOWS SEVER 2012.

Nigerian Airspace Management Agency has embraced the use of Windows Sever 2012. According to Chief Information Officer,  Mrs. Ogochukwu Ifeanyi,  making use of  Windows Server 2012 will further improve Nigerians Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) services and make Information and Communications Technology (ICT) work for air navigation. 

Ifeanyi explained that NAMA, which had the mandate to ensure safe, efficient, expeditious and economic flight operations in Nigeria, was working towards enhancing its service quality and reducing costs for its customers.

In addition, Mrs Ogochuckwu said that: "Deploying Windows Server 2012 has enabled us to do more with less, thereby reducing cost and enhancing considerably the ICT Return on Investment (ROI) for the organisation and bringing efficiency in the use of technology to value centric proportions." NAMA had the tasked of developing the Nigerian airspace to a level that is consistent with international standards, thus the need to deploy Windows Server 2012, she said.   

Also, the agency is set to provide better service to its customers, increase efficiency within the agency and to achieve this, it make use of cutting-edge technology through its private cloud.

Pirates kidnap 7 Russian, Estonian sailors off Nigeria coast

Nigerian pirates earlier this week attacked a Luxembourg-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Nigeria, kidnapping six Russian crew members and one Estonian crew member during the assault, a French company which provides maritime services confirmed on Wednesday.

The attack happened on Monday when gunmen attacked and boarded the Bourbon Liberty 249 cargo ship off the coast of Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta region. The 60 meters (197 feet)-long vessel, which was heading to the Port of Onne in Nigeria's Rivers state, was carrying a total of sixteen crew members.

Paris-based Bourbon SA, which provides marine services to offshore oil and gas companies, confirmed the incident in a brief statement on Wednesday. "Bourbon confirms that 7 crew members, 6 Russians and 1 Estonian, were kidnapped during the boarding of the Bourbon Liberty 249, which occurred on October 15, 2012 in Nigeria," the statement said.

The nine other crew members remained on board the vessel on Wednesday and have continued their journey to Onne. "They are safe and sound, and in good health," the statement continued, adding that the company has set up an emergency unit to rescue its employees as soon as possible. "Bourbon is in contact with the crewmembers' families, supporting them, and keeping them regularly informed," the statement added. "Bourbon will continue to disclose any new information when available and verified and will not make any comment, which could adversely affect the liberation of the hostages." 

SOURCE http://www.minews26.com/content/?p=20358

Rwanda defense chief lead DR Congo rebels- UN

A report by UN experts has indicted  Rwanda's defence minister as effectively commanding a rebellion in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The confidential report, leaked to Reuters agency, says Uganda is also backing the M23 rebels, who have been fighting the DRC's army since April. The document builds on a UN report published in June which accused Rwanda of supporting the insurgents. Rwanda and Uganda strenuously deny supporting the rebellion.

According to BBC's Barbara Plett, at the UN,  in the past two decades, Rwanda has backed armed groups in the east of DR Congo as a way to fight Hutu rebels who fled there after the genocide of the 1990s. Some accuse Rwanda of using militias as proxies in an on-going battle for the region, which is rich in minerals. The latest report by the UN Security Council's Group of Experts provides more details of Rwanda's alleged continued involvement.

Furthermore, It says that M23 leaders "receive direct military orders" from Rwanda's chief of defence staff, Gen Charles Kayonga, "who in turn acts on instructions from the minister of defence", Gen James Kabarebe. It also says Kigali has supplied the M23 with heavy weapons and stepped up recruitment for the group.

Meanwhile, Both Rwandan and Ugandan officials have strongly denied the accusations made in the report. Olivier Nduhungirehe, a senior Rwandan diplomat at the country's UN mission, said that the United Nations experts had been "allowed to pursue a political agenda that has nothing to do with getting at the true causes of conflict in the eastern DRC". More so, Uganda's foreign minister, Henry Okello Oryem, told the BBC that the UN was seeking to blame others for the failure of its own peacekeeping force in the eastern Congo. But the the DRC's ambassador to the UK, Kikaya Bin Karubi, said the UN "must act" on the basis of the report.

He told the BBC's Newsday programme: "When the chief of staff of an army, a minister of defence of a country creates a rebellion, supplies weapons, sends troops to fight against a legitimate government across the border, I think this is serious."

The report - seen by Reuters news agency on Tuesday - says army units from Rwanda and Uganda have helped M23 expand its control of territory in eastern DR Congo. In the 44-page report, "Both Rwanda and Uganda have been supporting M23".  While Rwandan officials co-ordinated the creation of the rebel movement as well as its major military operations, Uganda's more subtle support to M23 allowed the rebel group's political branch to operate from within Kampala and boost its external relations," it said. The UN report says former Congolese General Bosco Ntaganda controls the rebellion on the ground and M23 leader Col Sultani Makenga is in charge of co-ordination with allied groups. But it says M23's de facto chain of command culminates with Rwanda's defence minister.

The rebellion started in April, when a militia that had been absorbed into the Congolese army mutinied and went on the rampage in the eastern part of the country. Since then nearly half a million people have been displaced by fighting between the M23 and the army. The violence has drawn international condemnation and the US and some European countries have withheld aid from Rwanda. Gen Ntaganda, who is known as "the Terminator" and is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes, has fought for various militias over the years.

Source: BBC

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Obama Keeps Small Lead On Romney, Debate Bleeding Stemmed: Poll

Three weeks before the November 6 U.S. election, Obama leads Romney by 2 percentage points, with 47 percent support from likely voters in the national online poll, to 45 percent support for Romney.

The margin was small enough to be a virtual tie, but Obama's slight edge broadened from Sunday, when he went ahead of Romney by 1 point after falling behind in the wake of Romney's decisive victory in their first presidential debate on October 3. "Romney received a bump from that first debate, but the very nature of a bump is it recedes again," Ipsos vice president Julia Clark said. "We're now seeing Obama regaining a little bit of a foothold as we go into the second debate. They go into the debate on equal footing." The two men meet again on Tuesday night at New York's Hofstra University in a debate that Obama needs to win to grab back the campaign momentum.

The third debate is set for October 22 in Boca Raton, Florida. Obama's support in the new Reuters/Ipsos survey was particularly strong among the 10 percent of registered voters who have already cast their ballots.

Fifty-five percent said they voted for the Democrat, compared to 43 percent for his Republican challenger. POLICY GAINS Romney and his fellow Republicans have been hitting Obama hard over his handling of diplomatic security, blaming his administration for attacks in Egypt and Libya on September 11. The U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed in Libya. But the poll did not find a groundswell of condemnation for the White House. Forty-five percent of registered voters approved of Obama's handling of the situation in Libya and Egypt and 40 percent disapproved.

Thirty-eight percent backed Romney on the issue, compared with 36 percent who did not. The incumbent also regained ground in several policy areas since the first week after his bad debate. Forty-two percent of registered voters said they thought Obama had a better plan for healthcare, compared with 35 percent who said the same of Romney.

Obama's rating was up 4 points from October 10. Obama's ratings on taxes also went up by four points, as did voters' view of his plans for Social Security and Medicare by 3 points each. Romney's scores each went up by 3 points on how he would handle the war on terrorism and gay marriage, although Obama was still ahead on both. Thirty-seven percent of registered voters picked Obama as having better policies for dealing with terrorism, compared with 32 percent for Romney. And 43 percent favored Obama on gay marriage, compared with Romney's 25 percent. Romney kept a big lead of 38 percent to 29 percent on who has a better plan for handling the deficit, and a small lead of 38-37 percent on who would better handle the U.S. economy.

Obama was just ahead, at 39 percent to 38 percent, on jobs and employment. The precision of Reuters/Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points for registered voters and 2.6 for likely voters.

CULLED FROM http://news.naij.com/11735.html

UNICEF - Diarrhoea Kills 194,000 Nigerian Kids Annually

Diarrhoea kills some 194,000 children under five every year in Nigeria, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has said.

This was contained in a message issued by UNICEF to mark this year's Global Hand washing Day saying "hand washing is not complicated, but crucial."


UNICEF also emphasizes that the simple act of hand washing with soap can save hundreds of thousands of children who needlessly die every year.

Diarrhea (or diarrhoea) (from the Greek dia "through" + rheo "flow" meaning "flowing through") is the condition of having three or more loose or liquid bowel movements per day. It is a common cause of death in developing countries and the second most common cause of infant deaths worldwide. The loss of fluids through diarrhea can cause dehydration and electrolyte disturbances such as potassium deficiency or other salt imbalances.

According to the message, "As diarrhoea diseases are basically faecal-oral in nature, one of the simplest and most inexpensive barriers to infection is hand washing with soap or ash at critical times, such as before handling food and after defecation or changing a diaper. Hygiene promotion and proper hand washing is also the most cost effective public health intervention against diarrhoea diseases." Ibrahima Fall, Representative of UNICEF in Nigeria said, "Hand washing with soap has become all the more necessary in view of the ongoing floods in a number of states contaminating water supplies."

culled from http://news.naij.com/11768.html

Police Arrest Mastermind Of UNIPORT Killings

The Police in Rivers State said they have arrested the mastermind and prime suspect of the ALUU murder, Coxson Lerebori Lucky, aka Bright.

Mr Lucky was declared wanted by the Nigerian Police on Monday for the brutal murder of four students of the University of Port Harcourt – Ugonna Obuzor, 18, 200 Level Geology; Lloyd Toku, 19, 200 Level Civil Engineering; Tekena Elkanah, 20, a Diploma Technical student and Chiadika Biringa, 20, 200 Level Theatre Arts.

He allegedly raised the alarm which got the students killed. 21 people have so far been arrested and the IG of police has ordered an inquest into the alleged involvement of police men and have promised to bring to book any officer found involved in the killing.

culled from http://news.naij.com/11797.html

Iraq opens central bank corruption probe

Anti-corruption investigators have opened an inquiry into Iraq's central bank tied to alleged manipulation of the local currency's value against the US dollar, officials said on Tuesday. While the head of the parliamentary anti-corruption committee and the government anti-graft watchdog both said no charges had been brought, the former said 30 arrest warrants had been issued, including for the Central Bank of Iraq's (CBI) governor and his deputy. Neither government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh nor judicial spokesman Abdelsattar Bayraqdar responded to multiple calls by AFP requesting confirmation, however.

"I can confirm that we received the Central Bank dossier from the integrity committee in parliament," said Hassan Aati, spokesman for the Integrity Commission, Iraq's anti-corruption watchdog. "It is currently under investigation. The investigation has just started." Baha al-Araji, the chairman of parliament's integrity committee, said the investigation was "not about money, but about procedures that led to the weakening of the dinar against the dollar." "Nothing has been proven until now," he said, noting: "The investigation is still ongoing."

Araji said 30 arrest warrants had been issued, including for CBI governor Sinan al-Shabibi and his deputy Mudher Saleh. He added the pair had not been subjected to a travel ban. "I am sure that the governor of the central bank and his deputy will show up in front of the judiciary to defend themselves," Araji said. Contacted by telephone while in Tokyo for a meeting of the International Monetary Fund, Shabibi told AFP he was unaware of any warrants, adding: "Inshallah (God willing), there will not be arrest warrants." Iraq's currency has been largely stable against the US dollar, which has been worth around 1,200 dinars per dollar for the past few years.

Concerns have been raised, however, that currency auctions organised by the central bank were being used by neighbouring Iran and Syria to shore up foreign currency reserves, allegations the central bank has denied. The bank nevertheless tightened its rules on the purchase of US dollars earlier this year.

Source- AFP

15 Things You Must Discuss With Your Partner Before Getting Married

15 Things You Must Discuss With Your Partner Before Getting Married

Almost every single one of my girlfriends spent their childhoods talking about their dream wedding — most had rotating maids of honor and sketches of wedding dresses drawn and redrawn and adorning their walls.

 

But marriage is more than poufy dresses and making your best friends wear hideous outfits. Marriage is about the merger of lives, the happily ever after often as exciting as “who gets to pay the electric bill this month.”

In that vein, here are 15 things you should talk about before waltzing down that aisle.

1) Money: While nothing is as un-sexy as talking about a budget, money is one of the biggest sources of contention in a partnership. So bring it up. Talk about it often. This matters.

2) The “C” Word – Children: Do you want them? Does he? How many? When do you want to try to have them? All very important questions as kids are more than a fashion accessory.

3) Dreams: What do you want out of life? What does your partner want? It’s important to talk about the things you both want out of life as well as how you can work together to make sure you EACH are able to meet those goals.

4) Living: Where are you going to live? His place? Yours? Somewhere else? And why do you want to live there? Is it best for both of you?

5) Family Ties: It’s important to be able to set up some emotional boundaries when it comes to extended family — yours and his. You don’t have to talk badly about your in-laws to figure out who goes where for what holiday.

6) Culture Clash: If religion is a big thing for either of you (or both of you), will you go to church? Will one of you change religions? Is it okay with you both if you’re not the same religion? What about how you’ll raise your kids?

7) Old Flames: Are you in contact with your old boyfriends? Is he? Does that matter?

8) Past Problems: It’s likely that you broke it off with other partners for a reason. Why? What did you learn about those relationships and yourself? What about him?

9) Losing Secrets: In a marriage, there are no secrets. You’ll be seeing it all. So may as well confess your dirty laundry and get accustomed to keeping the lines of communication open.

10) Communication: It’s important to talk about how to have a proper discussion with your partner. Communication is a vital part of relationships, so discuss how you each handle conflicts before you’re in the middle of one.

11) Values: What are your values? Which way does your moral compass face? What about his? What’s okay in his mind may not be okay in yours, so it’s vital to discuss this before you get in too deeply.

12) Sexuality: There’s an old myth about not having sex after you’re married, so it’s a good thing to consider and discuss. You may have everything it takes to make a great couple work … except chemistry. Important to discuss how to make THAT work for you both.

13) Love: How you each show your love matters after awhile. Are you one of those people who “fixes” things to show love or do you simply hug and cuddle that love? What about him? If you don’t make it clear how you show love, it can take a toll on a marriage.

14) Cleaning House: Who does what around the house? Will you have a “Honey Do” list for your husband? Will you be responsible for certain aspects while your partner does others? Which ones? How?

15) Date Night: Be sure you discuss the ways in which you and your partner will continue to spark the romance once the wedding vows are taken. Date night? Nights in front of the TV without any distractions? Doesn’t matter, but it needs to happen.

Source: TheStir.com

Police declares Coxson Lelebori Lucky wanted for Aluu killings

The Nigerian Police Force has declared wanted the alleged master minder of the killing of four students of the University of Port-Harcourt students on the 5th of October 5th 2012 in Aluu, Rivers state.

Identifying the alleged master-mind of the mob action as Mr Coxson Lelebori Lucky, the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Mr Frank Mba, confirmed that the wanted man is on the run.

He however noted that the police is gradually closing in on him.

The police spokesman further announced that 21 suspects have been arrested and are now in police custody for their involvement in the killing.

The new arrests according to the Mr Mba were made from the videos of the incidence and intelligence of the Nigerian Police Force.

He also noted that the Inspector-General of Police has also ordered an inquest into the alleged involvement of police officers and will bring to book anyone found wanting.

He urged Nigerians to continue to assist the police with any intelligence concerning the killings and other security challenges in the country.

culled from http://www.channelstv.com/home/2012/10/15/police-declares-coxson-lelebori-lucky-wanted-for-aluu-killings-arrests-21/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium

We were unable to stop the mob from killing ALLU FOUR

The Nigerian police were unable to stop an angry mob from stoning and burning to death four students accused of armed robbery because they were chased by rock-throwing assailants, authorities said on Monday. The lynchings in Aluu  have caused outrage, with a video showing the gruesome killings of the   victims, aged 18-20, having circulated through social media.

Police issued a statement on Monday laying out some of what they said were the circumstances of the October 5 crime, while also saying 19 suspects had been arrested, including the traditional leader in the community. “The police on getting to the scene met a mob attack on four victims who were supposedly the suspected armed robbers,” the statement signed by Nigeria’s national police chief Mohammed D. Abubakar said. “Attempts made by the police patrol team to take over the suspects were met with stiff opposition from the mob, who chased the team with stones.”

The four police officers at the scene then called for reinforcements, but they arrived after the victims were “stoned and burnt to death, while the mob immediately took to their heels,” the statement said. It was not clear why police did not shoot into the air or fire tear gas as is often done to disperse crowds in Nigeria. The police have arrested 19 suspects, including the traditional monarch of the Aluu community in Rivers State, Hassan Welewa, who has been accused of inciting the mob, it added. Initial reports said that the students were accused of stealing phones and laptops, and the police said that they were suspected to be armed robbers.

A gruesome video of the attack near the oil city of Port Harcourt was posted on YouTube showing the students being stripped naked, beaten with sticks, doused with petrol and set ablaze with tyres around their necks. The University of Port Harcourt has since been temporarily closed following the tension generated by the killings.

culled from www.vanguardngr.com/2012/10/police-unable-to-stop-lynchings-of-aluu-4/

Pregnant Women Who Sleep On Their Back May Increase Stillbirth Risk

Pregnant women who sleep on their backs may increase the risk of miscarriage, Australian research has found. The study, known as the Sydney Stillbirth Study, looked at the pregnancies of 295 women from eight hospitals around Australia.

A stillborn baby is a baby born dead after 24 weeks of pregnancy. If the baby dies before 24 completed weeks, it is known as a late miscarriage.

The five-year study found that women who sleep on their backs are six times more likely to have a stillborn baby. Lead researcher Dr Adrienne Gordon, from Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, said previous research had suggested prolonged periods in this position restricted blood flow to the baby. It's thought that sleeping on the right side or on the back reduces blood flow through a major vein from the legs to the heart, which affects the supply to the womb.
Dr Gordon added: 'This may de-bunk the myth that it's normal for a baby's movement to slow down at the end of pregnancy. We didn't find that at all.' Emma Laing, midwifery manager, said: 'Should women have any concerns or feel their babies' movements have decreased, they should contact their midwife.'

The researchers added it was important that women who are currently pregnant 'don’t become alarmed if they sometimes sleep on their back'. Experts have pointed out previously that three-quarters of pregnant women sleep mostly on the left side – higher than the rate in women who are not pregnant. This may suggest they instinctively choose a sleeping position that works best for baby. 10% of stillborn babies have some kind of abnormality, and other possible causes include problems with the mother's health or problems with the placenta, which links the baby’s blood supply to the mother’s.

Stillbirth Foundation Australia, which funded Dr Gordon’s work, said the study was unique as it looked exclusively at women who were more than 32 weeks pregnant. 'It’s in this later stage of pregnancy that the largest proportion of stillbirths occur,' director Emma McLeod says. 'For around 40% of stillbirths after 32 weeks, they are otherwise perfectly healthy babies and there is no medical explanation as to why they died.'

In addition to sleep position, significant risk factors for stillbirth included how much the baby moved and whether it was the size it should be for its age. 'We found an association with decreased movements and stillborn babies,' Dr Gordon said. On the other hand, in women with healthy pregnancies who had a live birth, the frequency and strength of the babies’ movements actually increased later in the pregnancy.

Last year a University of Auckland study found mothers who slept on their back or right-hand side on the night before giving birth were twice as likely to have a stillborn child compared with those who slept on their left. But the researchers cautioned pregnant women not to be over-concerned by the finding. 'It was an observational study, not one that can show cause and effect – all it does is show an association,' said lead researcher Tomasina Stacey. Janet Scott, of the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society charity, said sleeping position could ‘play a part in well-being’. After all  she added, mothers-to-be are ‘encouraged to lie on their left for antenatal appointments’ to increase blood flow.

culled from http://news.naij.com/11456.html

1.5bn People Living In Poverty – World Bank

The World Bank has put the number of people languishing in abject poverty at 1.54 billion. According to its president, Jim Yong Kim, the latest troubles roiling the global economy risk devastating many developing countries and hitting its poorest people.

Kim said that about 22 per cent of the world’s seven billion people live in absolute poverty, measured as people making $1.25 a day or less. He revealed that plans are on track to drop the figure by one percentage point a year because it would take more than two decades to end poverty. “Our major concern is making sure all the gains that we’ve seen from the growth over the last five to 10 years are not wiped out by the crisis,” Dr. Kim said in an interview Thursday here ahead of his first meeting of the bank’s shareholders.

“We need to protect the developing countries from the impact of a recession.” Dr. Kim, a physician and anthropologist, took his post in July as the bank’s first president without a background in finance or politics. Many of his predecessors waded into the intricacies of international finance, becoming heavyweights in the economic concerns of even the world’s richest countries. Dr. Kim is shaping up more as a poverty-fighting evangelist, aiming to draw attention to concerns often cast aside early in a downturn.

In just two days in Japan, he has recounted his own long history of development work in Siberian prisons, Peruvian settlements and on the ground in poverty-stricken Haiti. His task now: persuading the world to worry about developing countries as other crises erupt from Europe to the Middle East to Asia. Focusing on poverty in times of crisis, particularly by spurring private-sector investment, helps lay the groundwork for economic development decades from now, he said.

“This is not about charity. This is a commitment to the global economy of the future.” Just over 100 days into the job, the bank chief is trying to reorient what is widely seen as a deeply bureaucratic institution. The World Bank, best known for making loans and providing guidance to developing nations, has been partly supplanted by easier access to finance in developing economies. Some of its biggest clients for decades, such as Brazil and China, have emerged as economic powerhouses that need the expertise of the bank’s development experts far more than its money.

Approvals for projects can be  Byzantine, stymied by internal procedures and external barriers in governments that need help. Among his key goals, he plans to tell the bank’s shareholders in a speech here Friday, is to orient the institution as a “solutions bank” that focuses on gathering the world’s insight about development and sharing the approaches more broadly. Dr. Kim said the World Bank is even having “informal conversations” with some euro-zone nations about providing guidance about improving their economies. He wouldn’t disclose the countries.

culled from http://news.naij.com/11442.html

"Nigeria has bad leaders" --- Bankole

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole has chided Nigerian leaders for not giving the youth the opportunity to lead, rather they prefer to ‘die in office.’

The ex lawmaker had expressed his frustration over the matter in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital at the commencement of a public lecture of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAB). The Lecture was entitled : “Mentoring and the challenges of leadership in Africa.”

According to Bankole, “These leaders failed to mentor those who are to take over from them and what we have instead are sit-tight leaders, who decide to die in office. Nigeria will only be placed on the path of progress, growth and development when we start to prepare our youths for leadership.

“Proper tutelage is indispensable for success in any vocation and Nigeria must urgently start the process of dis-allowing untutored and untested persons from been given the saddle of leadership.” Bankole said: “I wish to propose that we give further thought to ensuring that the choice of deputies is underlined by the requirement of competence and a modicum of collective enlightened self-interest.

“Another is the development of the agricultural sector. Studies have shown that our farming population across the country is ageing fast.

We must seek to build a system that enables us make creative use of people, who have occupied leading positions in our national life to gain useful experience.”

Bankole was of the opinion that democracy would survive if mentoring of upcoming leaders was taken seriously.

culled from http://247nigerianewsupdate.com/nigeria-has-bad-leaders-bankole/

Jonathan Proposes N4.9trn Budget For 2013

President Goodluck Jonathan presented a N4.9tn budget to the National Assembly for the 2013 fiscal year.

In the estimates titled, budget of “Fiscal Consolidation with inclusive growth,” Education, Defence and Police were allocated the highest share of N1.095trn. A breakdown of the N1.095trn shows  the Education sector getting N426.53bn;  Defence, N348.91bn, and  Police, N319.65bn. Missing copiously from the budget was a provision for fuel subsidy, an indication perhaps that government may fully remove the subsidy in 2013

In regards to Agriculture, the president in his speech said  his Administration has instituted key policy reforms to establish staple crop processing zones aimed at attracting the private sector into areas of high production, reducing post-harvest losses, and adding value to locally produced commodities. So far we have succeeded in attracting $7.8 billion investment commitments to the agricultural sector.  These investments and the value chain approach being used to transform the sector have the capacity to create 3.5 million additional jobs in the medium term by 2015.

More so, the provision of affordable housing is one of the Administration’s strategic imperatives for guaranteeing our citizens’ productivity and well-being. We are creating an enabling environment for the private sector to produce much needed housing, whilst creating jobs in the process. To facilitate this, I will be holding a presidential retreat on Housing in early November, to discuss policy and modalities for dealing with land titling issues, developing an affordable mortgage finance system and reducing the high cost of housing construction, he said.

While presenting the budget, Jonathan stuck to his original proposal of $75 per barrel of crude and rejected the $80 recommended by the House as the “realistic” crude oil benchmark for the 2013 budget Observers believe that the development might set off a fresh budget dispute between the National Assembly and the Executive. The N4.92trn proposed for 2013 is five per cent more than the N4.7trn budgeted in 2012.

Australia used to launder PNG's dirty money

Australia has been singled out as the money-laundering destination of choice for corrupt Papua New Guinea politicians and officials. The head of PNG's anti-corruption taskforce says stolen government funds are being washed clean in Australia, and authorities here are doing little to stop it. Sam Koim, who leads PNG's Task Force Sweep, says his job gets all the more difficult when ill-gotten gains disappear south to Australia.

"There appears to be a lot of monies being transferred by people who have stolen money from the PNG coffers," he said. "They have been moving money to Australia and we have evidence to show that they have been depositing those monies in Australian bank accounts, and also translating those monies into Australian real estate."

Mr Koim estimates half of the PNG government's annual budget is lost to fraud and corruption through a "mobocracy" of unscrupulous politicians, public servants, lawyers and business people. He believes tens of millions of dollars of that loss has been sent to Australia, with Cairns the most popular spot to clean dirty money. Mr Koim says six PNG politicians, who he cannot name because of ongoing investigations, have bought million-dollar properties in the city. "I think it's common knowledge that Cairns is a hotspot that most of Papua New Guinean proceeds have been invested in. It's a convenient place - just one hour flight [away]," he said.

 Last week Mr Koim delivered his message to a major reporters' meeting of the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) in Sydney.

He says Australia must do more to prevent the laundering of funds that are supposed to be spent on schools, hospitals and roads in PNG. "What Australia should be doing is helping us put more scrutiny on those kinds of transactions," he said. "Ultimately we want to see is that [money] suspected to have been derived from proceeds of corruption must be repatriated back to PNG."

No commitment

Dr David Chaikin, an expert on money laundering at the University of Sydney's business school, says the issue "doesn't seem to be a matter of high priority." He says AUSTRAC monitors international funds transfers and banks are required to report suspicious transactions.

But he says there appears to be little will to tackle the problem in Australia, unlike other developed countries.

"The main problem, I think, is enforcement and to what extent there is a prioritisation and the spending of resources to deal with the problem of foreign corrupt proceeds being in Australia," he said. "For example, the United Kingdom has taken anti-money laundering action against senior government officials in countries such as Zambia and Nigeria. "This includes criminal prosecutions for money laundering and millions and millions of pounds being frozen and ultimately confiscated and sent back to those countries in Africa."

 

The ABC put Mr Koim's concerns to Attorney-General Nicola Roxon, but she has been unavailable for comment.

 

culled from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-10/australia-used-to-launder-png-money/4304908

Wole Soyinka award for investigative reporting opens

The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) has called for entries for the 7th edition of the Award for Investigative Reporting.

The award is open to professional Nigerian journalist or team of journalists, full-time or freelancers, who have produced a news story published between 26 October 2011 and 3 October 2012 targeted at and received by a Nigerian audience. The award will reward and honour the works of outstanding journalists whose news stories expose corruption, regulatory failures and human rights abuses in public and private spheres of the country in the print, radio, television, photo, online, climate change, local government, sports, health and editorial cartooning categories. The sports and health categories are new categories included which focus on sustainable development, the wellbeing of the country and its future in relation with international realities.

Meanwhile the editorial cartooning category aligns with the global acknowledgements of cartoon as a veritable tool of investigative journalism and in response to agitations from journalists in this genre.

Print entries should be an original and photocopy while broadcast transcripts must be written in English language. Audio entries should be sent in Audio CD format, with accompanying script; while video entries on VCD.

The photo entries must be well captioned in English with the original photo, original copy of the published work and photocopy. While the editorial cartooning entries must include original copy of the published work with photocopy; and URL for online entries.

The entries will be scored by a judges' board comprising persons of integrity who are in the media and related professions. The entries should include a brief synopsis of not more than 400 words and sent to: The Centre Co-ordinator, WSCIJ, 55 Awolowo Way, Ikeja, Lagos.

The deadline for entries submission is October 25, 2012.

Al-Makura Blames Past Administrations for Rot in Education Sector

The Nasarawa State government has taken a swipe at the past administrations in the state for their insensitivity towards the education sector which has given rise to the high level of infrastructural decay, especially in primary schools across the state.

Reacting to a photo news of Central Pilot Primary School, Akwanga, published in a leading national newspaper( not LEADERSHIP), in a press release signed by the state Commissioner of Education, Hon. Hussaini I. Abubakar and made available to LEADERSHIP in Lafia, the state government averred that due to the corruption perpetrated by previous governments little or no attention was given to the dire need of revamping the education sector.

The statement noted that the dilapidated nature of schools across the state, "is a clear demonstration of the kind of rot that was inherited by the CPC government from the past administrations arising from insensitivity and recklessness, occasioned by diversion of funds meant for the development of the people of our dear state".

Hon Abubakar also revealed that in Governor Tanko Al-makura's efforts to revamp primary education in the state through the provision of needed infrastructure, contract worth over N9m has been awarded for the rehabilitation of the school which picture was published in the said national newspaper, to Tamarald Nig Ltd and work is expected to be completed in the next two to three months.

The statement further called on the public to guard against those who are bent on dragging the good name of the Al-makura led-government in the mud, saying that they are only jittery because the CPC government is exposing their inefficiency and deceit to which they had subjected the state over the years.

culled from http://allafrica.com/stories/201210100999.html

Uniport Massacre : Students Set Houses Ablaze

Students of the University of Port Harcourt went on  rampage Tuesday  to protest the murder of four of their colleagues by youths in Omuokiri-Aluu community  last Friday. They set ablaze no fewer than 12 houses in the community. Consequently, the university has been shut down by the authorities.

Spokesman of the university Dr William Wordi confirmed the closure of the school to our correspondent on phone.  He said he was going to send an official statement, but it was yet to come at press time.

Students from other institutions under the aegis of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) stormed the university  to mobilise  students to protest against the brutal killing of three of their colleagues and one other  by riotous youths.

The rampaging students blocked the East-West road for several hours before allegedly marching to Omuokiri-Aluu to start wreaking havoc. Community sources said that they torched about 12 houses.

It was gathered that while the rampaging students were on the East-West road, they reportedly insisted that they would only move out of the road after the vice-chancellor of the university, Prof Joseph Ajienka, had addressed them.  The VC reportedly obliged them after securing assurances that he would not be rough-handled.

Sources said while the VC came to plead with the students to shun any temptation to be violent, some of the students immediately started hurling sachet water at him. It took the timely intervention of security operatives to whisk him away from the spot. The Rivers State police command yesterday arraigned the traditional ruler of Omuokere-Aluu, Alhaji Hassan Welewa, and 11 others in a Port Harcourt high court over their involvement in the murder of four students of the University of Port Harcourt. Those arraigned were among the 13 persons arrested by a team of the police, the State Security Service and the Joint Task Force (JTF) in the aftermath of the killing of the students on Friday, October 5.

The state commissioner of police, Mr. Mohammed Abdulkadir Indabawa, disclosed this when the executive secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Professor Prof Ben Agwe, and his team visited him at the police headquarters in Port Harcourt. Indabawa, who spoke through the deputy police commissioner, Mr. Thomas Etomi, said two persons out of the 13 were kept behind to aid police investigation.

Giving an assurance that the police would unearth all details relating to the murder, the police boss stated that the NHRC would be kept abreast with developments from the police angle on the issue. He described the way the four were killed as barbaric, saying that there was no justification for the mob action. He promised that the police would ensure such ugly incident does not repeat itself again in the state.

Earlier, Prof. Angwe had said they were in the state to hear how the four were murdered. He said they would visit the village where the sad incident occurred and also make effort to meet with parents of the deceased before leaving the state. Angwe assured family members of the four and students of the University of Port Harcourt that his commission would stand by them to see that justice was done in the case.

He stated that NHRC had received calls from the international community on the sad incident, promising that they would also monitor the court process to its end.

The executive secretary appealed to protesting students of the university, who blocked the East-West road yesterday protesting the brutal murder to allow justice to take its full course on the incident.

Meanwhile, the Senate yesterday condemned the killing of the three students of the University of Port Harcourt and their friend. The Senate called on the security agencies to fish out the perpetrators and bring them to book. The Senate made the call following the debate of a motion sponsored by Sen. Ayogu Eze (PDP, Enugu) and 90 other senators.

The three 200 level students who were lynched are Baringa Lordson, Ugonna Obuzor, Mike Toku and their friend, Tekena Erikena, all below the age of 22 years. Eze had, in his lead debate, noted the dehumanising manner in which the four youths were stripped naked, marched like common criminals and battered to death.

The lawmaker described as flimsy the allegation of theft of laptops and BlackBerry phones levelled against them, which was yet to be ascertained. “The Senate is appalled by the flimsy and yet-to-be-substantiated allegation of theft of laptops and BlackBerry phones and urges that all the theories adduced as the reason for this crime be thoroughly investigated for a clue to this descent into barbarism.’’ Eze said it was a thing of worry that this was coming on the heels of another systematic murder of more than 40 persons, a majority of them students in another institution of higher learning. He also expressed concern over what he described as the cold attitude of leaders of Aluu community, who first gave approval for the extra-judicial killing.

Deputy Senate president Ike Ekweremadu in his contribution said that one of the deceased was well known to him, adding that the allegation of stealing of laptops levelled against him was immaterial. “I don’t believe the case of stealing levelled against them. One of the boys was known to me. His parents are well to do in the society. He has the latest Ipad and BlackBerry phones. “I do not want to go beyond this since the matter is currently being investigated. Those behind it must be found and dealt with,’’ he said.

Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP, Abia) said it should be a thing of concern to every Nigerian that, while the act was going on, some Nigerians stood by and were laughing over it. “Something that worries me is that I have a little glimpse of the video: people were laughing, jeering and taking pictures of other people who were being slaughtered.”

While ruling on the motion, Senate president David Mark said what happened in Aluu was in every sense a condemnable act. He said the Senate would do all within its power, strength and might to address it.

Mark reiterated his support for the creation of state police, and said that the merits of the state police far outweigh the demerits. “I have said this before: that I was against the state police but I have since changed my mind. The frequencies with which so many crimes are being committed in this country and the difficulty the police have in carrying out their investigations means that there are real security challenges that we need to address. And to address them realistically, we must make sure that there are enough police men that can police this country,’’ Mark said.

Bereaved mother cries for justice, petitions Senate Mrs. Chinwe Biringa, mother of one of the slain students, Mr. Chiadika Biringa, has petitioned the president of the Senate for his and the Senate’s intervention to unravel the mystery behind their wards’ brutal murder. In a petition dated October 9, Mrs Biringa declared that their family wanted nothing but justice. “We do not want this thing to be swept under the rug like most Nigerian investigations. We seek the help and intervention of the Senate to ensure that justice is done. Justice is the only thing that can assuage the pains and emotional traumas consuming us and clear the name of our son so that he can rest in peace,” she said.

The petition read in part: “My name is Mrs. Chinwe Biringa. I am the mother of Mr. Chiadika Biringa, a second year student of Theater Arts at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT). My husband is a very senior officer at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. My son turned 20 years old this week and we gave him pocket money to celebrate it with his friends. On Friday morning, we were called by my second son, also a UNIPORT student, that all was not well and he was hearing bad rumours that villagers at Aluu, the host community of UNIPORT, had murdered four students. I immediately rushed to the scene only to see my son’s dead body being taken away naked to a mortuary in UNIPORT Teaching Hospital. I could not believe my eyes and collapsed. What did my son do? What did the other three young men who died with him do? First, we heard that the four students were alleged to have stolen a Blackberry phone and a laptop computer. This could not be further from the truth. My son has had a Blackberry phone and in fact a laptop computer since he was in primary school. No way could my son steal such a common thing as a cell phone which every village woman now owns.

We have been subjected to several gory videos and pictures on the internet. This shows that someone filmed the whole barbarism from beginning to end. My son and his friends were savagely beaten and burnt to death while villagers at ALUU watched. All this has been caught on film! The video shows that all this was filmed in broad daylight which suggests that they were killed after 7.30 am. Further investigation has revealed that they left their friend’s house at ALUU at about 7am to go and prepare for lectures. To waylay them and beat them with planks until they died like chicken is the most savage thing one can witness in Nigeria of 2012. First they were stripped naked, marched around like frog and then beaten to death. What savagery and bestiality!”

Smartphone app controls everything in your smart home

It's the remote control to rule them all. Mobile app company Ube (pronounced "you-be") has developed a single smartphone app designed to control any system in your home that has a wireless connection. That includes media boxes like Apple TV and Tivo, smart TVs, thermostats, garage door openers and anything else that is connected to the internet. Perhaps even a fridge, one day.

For electronics without built-in smarts, Ube makes smart plugs fitted with microprocessors that can be plugged into standard outlets, as well as a multi-touch light switch dimmer. The device was launched this week at the DEMO conference in Santa Clara, California.

Most smart home technologies are highly proprietary, meaning they need to be customised for each device by a professional. A system that controls your lights cannot be integrated with the audio or security system, for instance. Ube simplifies the problem by being able to connect to any device that has an IP address.

The Ube app can give you information about what temperature the thermostat is currently set to or what channel the TV is on. The outlets and app can also collect information about how much energy each device, room or system is using, and the app sends push notifications to offer suggestions on how you can cut your home's energy consumption.

Ube made a big splash at DEMO, winning the People's Choice Award, and it is poised to start a Kickstarter campaign in the coming weeks. The app will be free, while the dimmer will retail for $60 and the outlet and plug for $55 each.

Corruption: An Invitation To Revolution

By Furera Isma Jumare
Recently Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations Secretary-General, lamented that globally, 30 per cent of aid meant for development was lost to corruption in 2011, hampering the ability of countries to prosper and grow, by preventing peace, development and human rights from flourishing.

This brings to mind Nigeria, a country awash in oil wealth,  but which ranks 143rd in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (or the 33rd most corrupt country in the world). In his 2007 book “The Bottom Billion”, Paul Collier, former World Bank Director of Research Development had also called Nigeria a development failure.

In Nigeria, government agencies which have the responsibility of providing public goods and services are cesspools of corruption. It is the same thing from the federal government, to the states, and the local government councils where it is an open secret that in some cases, their statutory monthly allocations are simply shared among officers. Sadly, no one seems to care anymore that public officers, many of whom earn less than a N100,000 a month, drive around in brand new expensive cars (paid for in full), send their children to expensive private schools, own expensive homes, and flaunt their ill-gotten wealth.

Obviously, the civil servants are aided and abetted by legislators that have oversight function over their agencies, as well as the private sector itself. For example, around 2008 the power sector probe by the Ndudi Elumelu led House of Representatives Committee on Power was steeped in allegations that members had collected a bribe of N100 million from a contractor. Elumelu and his team were charged to court, but have we heard anything anymore about the case? 

Then there is  the Farouk Lawan (Mr. Integrity)/ Femi Otedola bribery scandal during the fuel subsidy probe. Here, evidence emerged that Mr. Integrity had taken a bribe of at least $500,000 to exonerate a company owned by Femi Otedola, a big player in the oil sector. It is also clear that members of the legislature cannot help soliciting bribe regardless of the importance of whatever project, sector or ministry they “oversee”, knowing this is to the detriment of growth and development of the country, its citizens, or even the constituencies they claim to represent. In Nigeria the corruption disease has hit on such an audacious scale and now reached frightening proportions.

To add salt to injury, Nigeria ranked 156th in World Bank’s Human Development Index in 2011, falling into the Low Human Development group, and only better than 23 countries. For many years the country has fallen into that group, and now it is not likely to meet most of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the target date of 2015 according to reports. This is because to achieve each of the goals requires an infusion of funds by government. And there lies the problem for Nigeria. Wherever funds are needed for a project, corruption is lurking around the corner. How on earth then did we think the country would achieve rapid development and meet the goals by 2015? Marrying the two issues of corruption and achieving the MDGs together, understanding why it would be a difficult task anyway becomes easier.

Already, looking at the overarching of the eight goals - eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in assessing the current progress of the MDGs in Nigeria reports that this goal is not likely to be met by 2015. As it is already, by 2010, 61.2 per cent of Nigerians were living under a dollar a day, according to Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

But then again, for the same reason, can Nigeria meet the goal of achieving universal primary education? While World Bank statistics showed increased primary school enrolment in this case, there is a missing link. If the MDGs are supposed to be a means to achieving development, that goal should have addressed the issue of quality of education, and not just volume.

The educational system in the country has totally collapsed in terms of quality. There is dilapidated physical infrastructure, limited educational equipment and other materials, and poor quality of teaching. Of course this feeds into Nigeria’s secondary school system where for example only 10 per cent of the 110,724 candidates passed the 2011 November/December Senior School Certificate Examinations of the National Examination Council (the NECO SSCE).

For the health sector, the case of Professor Adenike Grange, the former Minister of Health who was fired for graft in 2008 is an example of corruption in high places. But also recently in July, a scathing report appeared in the equally sensational on line news media, Saharareporters.com, regarding the activities of the Federal Ministry of Health. Staff members together with those of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), were accused of stealing much of the N320 billion allocated to the ministry specifically for the achievement of the MDGs and others.

But the Office of the Senior Special Advisor to the President on MDGs is not left out of the corruption scandals; it was recently reported that the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had arrested the Benue state coordinator of the MDGs, Mr. Timothy Aikyor, and some of his subordinates, for misappropriation of between N300 million and N1 billion.

In view of all this therefore, are the MDGs attainable in Nigeria? We know that corruption in Nigeria, very much like religion, has been accepted as a way of life. Law enforcement and other constituted authority that should abhor and prevent it actually condone and fuel it. Many corruption cases have “disappeared” because of the connivance of constituted authority, but even where cases still exist, they are often tied up in bureaucracy at the courts anyway. So what to do?

Countries have been urged to ratify the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). Adopted in 2003 by the General Assembly, the instrument is the first global legally binding one meant to help countries fight corruption and recover stolen assets. Nigeria has ratified it, but if the Nigerian government is sincere in its fight against corruption, then for a start it must incorporate the convention’s provisions into our laws.

When this happens it might serve as a deterrent for those who believe they can steal public funds and hide the loot abroad.

CULLED FROM http://leadership.ng/nga/fatima_akilu/36745/2012/10/07/corruption_invitation_revolution.html