SABINEWS EVENING NEWS UPDATE – MARCH 29, 2019
FG sets to increase Corps members’ allowance – NYSC DG
The Director General, National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Major General Suleiman Kazaure has said that the increment of allowances for Corps Members will be considered as soon as the minimum wage increment was sorted. Speaking today in Abuja during the swearing-in ceremony of 3,022 Batch A Corps members into the FCT orientation camp, he said all hope was not lost as the scheme was waiting for the Federal Government to sign the minimum wage into law. On the stand of NYSC to mobilise students of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Kazaure said all that the scheme needed was a directive from the government and it will commence mobilisation of the students.
Gov. Ortom receives Certificate of Return, vows to work with Buhari
Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue and his deputy, Mr Benson Abounu, on Friday received their Certificates of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Makurdi. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the newly elected legislators who also received their certificates are: the incumbent Speaker, Benue House of Assembly, Mr Titus Uba and 29 other members-elect. The INEC Federal Commissioner in charge of Benue, Anambra and Enugu states, Mr Festus Okoye, presented the certificates to the governor, his deputy and the legislators-elect at the IBB square. He blamed the incidents of ballot-box snatching and thuggery on politicians.
LAWMA decries defecation, bathing on roads at Apapa, environs
The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) on Friday decried the ongoing defecation and bathing on the roads at Apapa area and its environs by articulated vehicle operators. LAWMA’s Head, Public Affairs, Mr Obinna Onyenali, who lamented the situation in Lagos, said the actions of the truck operators degraded the environment as well as wears out the asphalt on the road. “The heavy presence of articulated trucks along and in Apapa axis have made the road impassable. “Truck operators shamelessly bath and defecate on the road openly, thus wearing out the asphalt. “The roads have also been turned into mechanic workshops where major repairs of heavy trucks are carried out, spilling engine oil and diesel on same road,” he said in a statement. Onyenali said that something needed to be done urgently to avert the outbreak of epidemy in the area.
Omo-Agege, Waive incur N300,000 fine each as Appeal Court upholds judgement nullifying their elections
The Court of Appeal sitting in Benin, Edo State, has struck out appeals by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and Rev. Francis Waive, seeking the leave of court to challenge the judgement of the Federal High Court, Asaba, which nullified their elections. The court, in its ruling on Friday, dismissed the two applications for lacking merit. Senator Omo-Agege and Rev. Waive emerged as the candidates of the APC in the 2019 general elections from the Prophet Jones Erue-led faction of the Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, which the Asaba Federal High Court had sacked as chairman.
Ayade, others receive certificates of return in Cross River
Cross River State Governor-elect, Prof Ben Ayade, the Deputy Governor-elect, Prof Ivara Esu and the 25 members-elect of the state House of Assembly have received their certificates of return. All of them are of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmud Yakubu, who was represented by the National Commissioner in charge of Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Delta, Dr. Mustapha Mohammed, presented the certificates to them at the INEC headquarters in Calabar. Yakubu said the presentation of the certificates was in compliance with the law that established the commission.
Ambode lauds NYSC for election role as 2,568 corps members swear oath
Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has praised the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for its roles in the success of the general elections. Ambode said this on Friday at the Swearing-In of 2019 Batch A corps members at the NYSC Orientation Camp in Iyana Ipaja, Lagos where he was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, Dr Yusuf Jimoh. “May I on this note specially commend the National Youth Service Corps for its invaluable role and contributions to the just concluded elections. “The success of the 2019 elections has further proven that the scheme is indeed an enduring legacy of its founding fathers.
Police disperse APC, PDP supporters with tear gas in Rivers
Protesters, who were supporters of the All Progressives Congress and the People’s Democratic Party were dispersed on Friday with tear gas by a team of police operatives. The police had stormed the Polo Club axis of Port Harcourt, where both supporters had gathered. It was gathered that the PDP supporters were angry that their counterparts in the APC disregarded the no-protest directive of Governor Nyesom Wike, and planned to move to the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Tensions in A’Ibom as Policemen kill NURTW chairman
There is palpable tension in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital following the gruesome murder of the Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Comrade Ubong Udo Udofia, by angry Policemen. Udofia, 45, a.k.a ‘Evolution’, was said to have been killed by four policemen who used to hit him after trying unsuccessfully to kill him through direct shooting. Narrating her ordeal at their home at 179, Ikpa Road, Afaha Oku, Uyo, the state capital on Friday, the distraught wife, Margareth, fighting back tears, explained that her husband met his untimely death when minor argument with a Policeman resulted in full blown brawl.
Super Falcons climb to 38th in FIFA rankings
Nigeria has climbed to the 38th position in the latest FIFA women’s world rankings released on the FIFA official website on Friday. The Super Falcons maintained their position as number one in Africa after amassing a total of 1,599 points and moving just one spot upwards from their previous 39th position on the 155 team rankings. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the ranking is coming barely three months ahead of the Women’s FIFA World Cup, which is scheduled to hold in France from June 7 to July 7.
Charles Leclerc off to strong start in Bahrain
Charles Leclerc finished ahead of Sebastian Vettel as Ferrari’s bid to relaunch their championship challenge began in perfect fashion in Bahrain. The Italians were blown away by a dominant Mercedes team at the season-opening race in Melbourne a fortnight ago. But on Friday Leclerc ended the first running in the desert almost one second clear of Valtteri Bottas with Lewis Hamilton a distant fourth. Hamilton, who ran off the circuit during his first flying lap, finished nearly 1.3 seconds behind the Ferrari driver. The times should be treated with more than a degree of caution given that the afternoon heat is not representative of the cooler conditions for both qualifying and the race which take place in the evening.
The Manchester United games that landed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the manager’s job
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was announced as permanent Manchester United manager on Thursday after an impressive run of 14 wins out of his first 19 games. The Norwegian blew the competition out of the water with his perfect job audition and the club officially announced him as Jose Mourinho’s permanent successor in a statement ahead of the game against Watford. While the results have been impressive there have been a number of key games which showed to executive vice chairman Ed Woodward and the club’s owners why Solskjaer was the right man for the job. Here’s a look at five results that were key in Solskjaer landing the job on a permanent basis.
Microsoft Launches Azure Security Center for IoT
Microsoft this week announced a new set of tools to help secure Internet of Things projects within corporate environments. The first of these is Azure Security Center for IoT, which should provide customers with the ability to easily implement security best practices and mitigate threats across IoT projects. The tool should help find missing security configurations across IoT devices, the edge and cloud, check for open ports on IoT devices, confirm that SQL databases are encrypted, and immediately attempt to remediate any issues.
Israel warplane targets Palestinian kite-flyers in Gaza
An Israeli warplane on Thursday struck an area near the Gaza Strip’s northern city of Jabalia without causing casualties, Anadolu Agency reports. According to an Anadolu Agency correspondent based in the area, the airstrike occurred east of Jabalia, where Palestinian activists were attempting to launch incendiary kites and balloons into Israeli territory. The airstrike, which has since been confirmed by the Israeli military, did not result in any casualties, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Factbox: Airlines set out cost after Boeing plane grounded
Tour operator TUI warned its profit would fall by at least 200 million euros ($225 million) this year after the grounding of Boeing’s 737 MAX aircraft, further evidence of the financial impact of two fatal crashes involving the same type of plane. Following are airlines that have warned of the potential cost of the grounding: TUI expects underlying earnings before interest, tax and amortization (EBITA) to fall by 17 percent, having previously expected the figure to be on a par with the 1.18 billion euros generated in 2018. It added that EBITA could even fall as much as 26 percent in 2019 if the planes remain grounded beyond the middle of July.
