₦airaland Forum

Role And Responsibilities of a Chief Data Officer [CDO]
https://techcentral.ng/2020/11/14/role-and-responsibilities-of-a-chief-data-officer-cdo/


APPLY: Nigeria govt is offering Startups full sponsorship to attend GITEX 2020 in Dubai
https://techcentral.ng/2020/10/29/apply-nigeria-govt-is-offering-startups-full-sponsorship-to-attend-gitex-2020-in-dubai/


Why you should complement your business with a website
https://techcentral.ng/2020/11/04/why-you-should-complement-your-business-with-a-website/



How Local, Foreign Brands Responded To #ENDSARS Protest
https://techcentral.ng/2020/11/15/how-local-foreign-brands-responded-to-endsars-protest/

How Local, Foreign Brands Responded To #ENDSARS Protest-TECH Central Nigeria
The #ENDSARS peaceful protest in Nigeria started in 2017 as a Hashtag. A few months later, it called for its first reforms which saw the removal of police officers from strategic areas. From 2017 to date, the SARS unit has undergone several reforms including the infamous announcement by the Vice President (who was acting President when the President was on a medical trip) in 2019 that saw the unit renamed as FSARS (Federal Security and Anti-Robbery Squad).

Afterward, I was made to open my luggage, they scattered my clothes looking for incriminating materials. We were in a bush, everywhere was quiet, I couldn’t fight for my right, I had heard stories of people being killed or missing for arguing with them even in open places let alone a place so quiet. After the questions we were allowed to go, thank GOD I didn’t have my laptop with me neither do I have iPhone.


So, when the #ENDSARS protest started in October, I knew I had to lend my voice. I participated both physically and online. The first week of the protest was peaceful. At the place I participated in, youth cooperated with the police, we blocked some parts of the roads and allowed vehicles to move at intervals. At other protests grounds, protesters were seen sharing their refreshments with policemen.

As hoodlums took over the protest what started as a peaceful protest turned into violence, and after the Lekki massacre, hoodlums started looting, burning properties, and attacking officers.

During the protest, while Capitalists like Tony Elumelu, Aliko Dantoge tried stopping the protest through meetings and offers to strategic influencers, brands like the Chicken Republic were supportive, distributing foods to peaceful protesters.

Twitter became the biggest supporter of the #ENDSARS protest. With Jack endorsing the Feminist Coalition account and endorsing its call for funding. Many influencers were verified and a unique icon was developed for online protesters.

https://techcentral.ng/2020/11/15/how-local-foreign-brands-responded-to-endsars-protest/

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Pantami on Friday has commissioned the first National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Located at Wuye District of Abuja.
The centre will serve as a leading hub of innovation, research and development, knowledge transfer, and training in the areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics and other emerging technologies, Pantami said.
“Our adoption of regulatory sandbox frameworks for testing technology in a controlled environment will enable the Center accelerate the progress we are making in the development of our digital economy,” he added.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mallam. Kashifu Inuwa said the Centre was built by the Agency to foster the development of emerging technologies in preparing Nigeria for the Fourth Industrial Revolution

https://techcentral.ng/2020/11/13/fg-commissions-first-artificial-intelligence-and-robotics-centre/

YBTC News-The Petroleum Products Marketing Company, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, has increased the ex-depot price of Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol, to N155.17 per litre from N147.67 per litre.

The PPMC disclosed this in an internal memo with reference number PPMC/C/MK/003, dated November 11, 2020, and signed by Tijjani Ali.

The memo, a copy of which was seen by PUNCH, said the new ex-depot price would take effect from Friday.

The ex-depot price is the price at which the product is sold by the PPMC to marketers at the depots.

In its PMS price proposal for November, the PPMC put the landing cost of petrol at N128.89 per litre, up from N119.77 per litre in September/October.

It said the estimated minimum pump price of the product would increase to N161.36 per litre from N153.86 per litre.

The National Operation Controller, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr Mike Osatuyi, in a telephone interview with our correspondent, said the over N7 increase in ex-depot price would translate into an increase in pump prices.

He said, “The implication of the increase in the ex-depot price is that there is going to be an increase in the pump price. We are expecting the pump price to range from N168 to N170 per litre.

“Crude oil price is going up,” he said, noting that the Federal Government has fully deregulated petrol prices.

Following the deregulation of petrol prices in September, marketers across the country adjusted their pump prices to between N158 and N162 per litre to reflect the increase in global oil prices.

Petrol price band had also risen from N121.50–N123.50 per litre in June to N140.80-N143.80 in July and N148-N150 in August.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, said in September that the government had stepped back in fixing the price of petrol, adding that market forces and crude oil price would continue to determine the cost of the product.

https://ybtcnews.com/fuel-to-sale-at-n168-n170-litre-as-nnpc-raises-petrol-depot-price/

YBTC News-Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State on Tuesday said the state now rank 8th most poor state in the country.

Mohammed said this in Bauchi during a ‘Town Hall Meeting with the Senate Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Investment Programmes’.

The governor who was represented by his deputy, Alhaji Baba Tela explained that the rate of poverty and social inequalities was caused by the ongoing Boko Haram insurgency in the area.

“As I speak now, Bauchi is ranked 8th most poor state in Nigeria.

“The rate of poverty and social inequalities is sustained by the ongoing conflict with the Boko Haram and the effect of migration in the Northeast which has greatly overstretched our limited resources.

“Data has shown that 83 million Nigerians are now living below the poverty line. It means these figures are considered poor even by our own standard.

“It is now left to all of us to rise up to this challenge, by taking decisive measures to revise this alarming trend,” he said.

Mohammed said the meeting was organised by the state government in collaboration with the senate committee and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.

He further said the essence of the meeting was to map out strategies to maximize the benefits of the programme to the people of Bauchi state and the nation at large.

“No doubt, the components of Social Investment Programmes have tremendously impacted on the academic well-being of our people as we have clearly seen today.

https://ybtcnews.com/bauchi-state-rank-8th-poorest-state-in-nigeria/

Ondo State governor Rotimi Akeredolu has defended the freezing of bank accounts belonging to some #EndSARS campaigners by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

“Speaking very honestly, I don’t see anything wrong in it,” Akeredolu said in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

“If for instance, my account was frozen, what would I do? All I would do is go back to court to explain.”

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in October froze the account of 20 persons alleged to have funded the two-week-long protest against harassment, extortion and extra-judicial killings by police personnel in the country.

Some of the accounts frozen by the apex bank were in Guaranty Trust Bank, Access Bank, Zenith Bank and other financial institutions.

The CBN argues that the accounts were being used to finance acts of terrorism in country, thereby, violating the Section 13(1)(a)and(b) of the Terrorism (Prevention)(Amendment) Act, 2013 and Regulation 31(2)(a)and (3)(b) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism Regulations, 2013.


https://ybtcnews.com/nothing-wrong-with-freezing-endsars-protesters-account-akeredolu/

A former governor of Kaduna State, Balarabe Musa, is dead.

Mr. Musa’s death was announced by his political associate and former senator, Shehu Sani.

Balarabe Musa was elected governor of Kaduna State in 1979 but was later controversially impeached and removed from office.

Born 21 August 1936, the elder stateman died in Kaduna at 84.


https://ybtcnews.com/ex-kaduna-governor-balarabe-musa-dies-at-83/

How to Be More Productive on Social Media – Tech Central Nigeria

Social Media are interactive computer-mediated platforms that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, career interests, and other forms of expression with virtual communities and networks.

The process of communication was at a very slow pace before the emergence of technology. Humans communicated with signals, nature, and drawings evolution took place and for communication to be effective then they use mediums such as town criers.
For easier communication, it resulted in getting clans, communities, and villages to communicate.

Also Read: How to Learn Most Lucrative Skills On The Internet (https://techcentral.ng/2020/10/23/how-to-learn-most-lucrative-skills-on-the-internet/)

Humans soon began to think and write which was the trait of the most evolved man (homo-sapiens). The modern man started to write letters with ink and feathers but the transmission was too slow depending on the distance, post offices were established which facilitated the transmission of information but some took up to a year depending on the location and distance from the sender to the receiver by sea and air(cargo planes).

This was also not very effective and reliable as messages got swapped and some got missing. Communication, later on, made a breakthrough into the air (literally) as a man started to make use of wireless communication known as social media(The giant of communication).


SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS WERE CREATED FOR COMMUNICATION.

According to research, an average internet user spends more than 2 hours per day on social media. Hence the need for adequate training on its usage

The main intent of social media is to allow human share resources. For you to make productive use of the platforms ki you need to look at the intent of the creation.

Here are few ways you can use social media productively

1. Communication and enlightenment
Social Media platforms are used to stay in touch with family members and friends. They aid enlightenment because they allow the sharing of resources and opportunities among users.

2. E-commerce
It’s easy to advertise a product on these media platforms and get buyers as soon as possible without stressing about looking for a place to sell a product or get a product. E-commerce simply means buying and selling online.

3. Skills Acquisition
With the likes of YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and many more platforms. Skill acquisition is made very easy. Skills such as; content creation, hair styling, graphics design and more can be learned online.

continue here:https://techcentral.ng/2020/11/04/how-to-be-more-productive-on-social-media-tech-central-nigeria/

The West African Examinations Council(WAEC) has released the results of the 2020 Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination(SSCE).

WAEC had promised the results would be released on Monday, November 2, 2020.

The release of the results was postponed due to the violence that trailed the #ENDSARS protests.

Head of the National office, Patrick Areghan, said a total of 1,549,740 registered for the examination. Areghan said 1,338, 348 representing 86.99 percent obtained credit and above in a minimum of any five subjects – with or without English Language and/or Mathematics.

He said 1,003, 668 candidates representing 65.24 percent obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

Check your results here: https://ybtcnews.com/breaking-waec-releases-2020-results-gives-breakdown/

We all love successful marriages.
For those we had one, it wasn't by luck or chances, it was nurtured from a very young age. It was done by engaging them in a rigorous training program and ingraining a mentality that has made them unstoppable.

For those we had one, it wasn't by luck or chances, it was nurtured from a very young age. It was done by engaging them in a rigorous training program and ingraining a mentality that has made them unstoppable.

Would you go into a relationship already planning the breakup, would you meet a divorce lawyer on the morning of your wedding?

Join us as we bring to you a platform where relationships are given a voice of reasoning as we help project and discuss all these salient issues in modern times through an #Islamic Window.

Kindly, Join the Habibi community here: https://www.instagram.com/alim_cfas_habibi/

Contrary to a report published in the online edition of one of the national dailies on Friday October 30th, the Federal Capital Territory Administration has not shut down the Idu COVID-19 treatment and Isolation centre.

Acting Secretary of the FCTA Health and Human Services Secretariat, Dr. Mohammed Kawu disclosed this while providing more clarification on the information contained in the said publication.

He said while it is true that the FCTA has closed down some isolation centres following a reduction in the number of hospitalised patients recently, Idu centre is still functional and receiving patients.

“We only closed down two isolation centres, the Asokoro and Karu general hospitals which were earlier converted to isolation centres but have now been returned to their original use”.

“But the Idu Isolation centre which is a 500-bed facility is still opened and managing COVID 19 patients.”

He said the FCT Administration has no intention to close down the Idu centre for now until all necessary parameters have been put in place, adding that COVID 19 is still prevalent and we cannot take chances.

Dr. Kawu who noted that there has been a significant drop in the number of people coming down with the disease in the FCT, however, appealed to residents to continue with the observation of the non-pharmacological preventive measures of washing of hands with soap and water or hand sanitizers, wearing of face mask , physical/social distancing and avoiding large gatherings.

https://ybtcnews.com/covid-19-idu-isolation-centre-is-still-operational-fcta/

Lekki Shootings: Amnesty International Warns Against Cover-Up
[b]
YBTC News-[/b]The Amnesty International, on Wednesday, told the Federal Government not to attempt any move to cover up investigations into the Lekki tollgate shooting of some #EndSARS protesters by some soldiers.

Amnesty International said the victims of the shooting at Lekki tollgate last week Tuesday must get justice with the identification and diligent prosecution of the soldiers who shot into the crowd of protesters demonstrating against police brutality and extrajudicial killings in the country.

The organisation maintained that after monitoring the #EndSARS protest, which rocked the country for more than a week, no fewer than 56 people were killed.

In a statement signed by the media manager of Amnesty International, Mr Isa Sanusi, the organisation maintained that available evidence from photographs and video footage indicated that “Nigerian Army vehicles left Bonny Camp, a military base approximately a seven-minute drive from the tollgate, at 6:29 p.m. local time on October 20.”

According to the statement,“footage then tracks the vehicles to the toll gate. At approximately 6:45 p.m., the Nigerian military opened fire on the #EndSARS protesters who were peacefully calling for an end to police brutality.

Also Read:‘They came to kill us’: Lekki shooting survivor narrates experience

What happened at Lekki tollgate has all the traits of the Nigerian authorities’ pattern of a cover-up whenever their defence and security forces commit unlawful killings,” said Osai Ojigho, Country Director of Amnesty International.

“One week on, the Nigerian authorities still have many questions to answer: Who ordered the use of lethal force on peaceful protesters? Why were CCTV cameras on the scene dismantled in advance?

And who ordered electricity being turned off minutes before the military opened fire on protesters? The initial denial of the involvement of soldiers in the shooting was followed by the shameful denial of the loss of lives as a result of the military’s attack against the protests.

“Many people are still missing since the day of the incident, and credible evidence shows that the military prevented ambulances from reaching the severely injured in the aftermath. Amnesty International is again calling on Nigerian authorities to bring to justice those behind the shooting and to protect those who are exercising their right to freedom of assembly.

“The organisation is still investigating the shooting, and the reported removal of bodies of those killed by the military in an attempt to remove evidence.”

It added that “the Amnesty International’s Crisis Response experts investigated and verified social media videos and photographs that confirm the Nigerian security forces were present at the Lekki tollgate when the shootings occurred.

“At 6:29 p.m. local time in Lagos, two military vehicles were filmed leaving Bonny Camp on videos shared on social media.

Later footage shows four vehicles with flashing lights in a convoy, and they appear to be vehicles used by the Nigerian military and police.

“The same vehicles head east along Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue – which changes its name to the Lekki-Epe Expressway in the direction of the Lekki tollgate.

On this route, the vehicles passed several international embassies and consulates, including the Japanese Embassy and the Australian High Commission.

“Further photographs and footage capture the vehicles arriving at the tollgate, before the peaceful protest is disrupted by men in military uniform and gunfire is heard.

As night time descended, protesters continued to film and share videos of the shootings.

Later in the evening, videos of the victims were also shared on social media.

“Amnesty International has been monitoring developments across Nigeria since the #EndSARS protest began on October 8, 2020.

Nigerians have been taking to the streets, peacefully demanding an end to police brutality, extrajudicial executions and extortion by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigerian police tasked with fighting violent crimes.

At least 56 people have died across the country since protests began. In multiple cases, the security forces have used excessive force in an attempt to control or stop the protests,” the statement concluded


https://ybtcnews.com/lekki-shootings-amnesty-international-warns-against-cover-up/

Lekki Shootings: Amnesty International Warns Against Cover-Up
[b]
YBTC News-[/b]The Amnesty International, on Wednesday, told the Federal Government not to attempt any move to cover up investigations into the Lekki tollgate shooting of some #EndSARS protesters by some soldiers.

Amnesty International said the victims of the shooting at Lekki tollgate last week Tuesday must get justice with the identification and diligent prosecution of the soldiers who shot into the crowd of protesters demonstrating against police brutality and extrajudicial killings in the country.

The organisation maintained that after monitoring the #EndSARS protest, which rocked the country for more than a week, no fewer than 56 people were killed.

In a statement signed by the media manager of Amnesty International, Mr Isa Sanusi, the organisation maintained that available evidence from photographs and video footage indicated that “Nigerian Army vehicles left Bonny Camp, a military base approximately a seven-minute drive from the tollgate, at 6:29 p.m. local time on October 20.”

According to the statement,“footage then tracks the vehicles to the toll gate. At approximately 6:45 p.m., the Nigerian military opened fire on the #EndSARS protesters who were peacefully calling for an end to police brutality.

Also Read:‘They came to kill us’: Lekki shooting survivor narrates experience

What happened at Lekki tollgate has all the traits of the Nigerian authorities’ pattern of a cover-up whenever their defence and security forces commit unlawful killings,” said Osai Ojigho, Country Director of Amnesty International.

“One week on, the Nigerian authorities still have many questions to answer: Who ordered the use of lethal force on peaceful protesters? Why were CCTV cameras on the scene dismantled in advance?

And who ordered electricity being turned off minutes before the military opened fire on protesters? The initial denial of the involvement of soldiers in the shooting was followed by the shameful denial of the loss of lives as a result of the military’s attack against the protests.

“Many people are still missing since the day of the incident, and credible evidence shows that the military prevented ambulances from reaching the severely injured in the aftermath. Amnesty International is again calling on Nigerian authorities to bring to justice those behind the shooting and to protect those who are exercising their right to freedom of assembly.

“The organisation is still investigating the shooting, and the reported removal of bodies of those killed by the military in an attempt to remove evidence.”

It added that “the Amnesty International’s Crisis Response experts investigated and verified social media videos and photographs that confirm the Nigerian security forces were present at the Lekki tollgate when the shootings occurred.

“At 6:29 p.m. local time in Lagos, two military vehicles were filmed leaving Bonny Camp on videos shared on social media.

Later footage shows four vehicles with flashing lights in a convoy, and they appear to be vehicles used by the Nigerian military and police.

“The same vehicles head east along Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue – which changes its name to the Lekki-Epe Expressway in the direction of the Lekki tollgate.

On this route, the vehicles passed several international embassies and consulates, including the Japanese Embassy and the Australian High Commission.

“Further photographs and footage capture the vehicles arriving at the tollgate, before the peaceful protest is disrupted by men in military uniform and gunfire is heard.

As night time descended, protesters continued to film and share videos of the shootings.

Later in the evening, videos of the victims were also shared on social media.

“Amnesty International has been monitoring developments across Nigeria since the #EndSARS protest began on October 8, 2020.

Nigerians have been taking to the streets, peacefully demanding an end to police brutality, extrajudicial executions and extortion by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigerian police tasked with fighting violent crimes.

At least 56 people have died across the country since protests began. In multiple cases, the security forces have used excessive force in an attempt to control or stop the protests,” the statement concluded


https://ybtcnews.com/lekki-shootings-amnesty-international-warns-against-cover-up/

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the reappointment of Professor Mahmood Yakubu as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for another five-year term.

Mr Femi Adesina, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

The statement read, “President Muhammadu Buhari has presented the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, for a second term in office.

“In a letter to President of the Senate, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, the President said in accordance with the provision of Section 154 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic.....

See full story link: https://ybtcnews.com/and-again-buhari-re-appoints-yakubu-as-inec-chairman/

Stolen Palliatives: Adamawa gov gives looters 12 hours or else..

Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State has given looters 12 hours to return all stolen items carted away


see full story link: https://ybtcnews.com/stolen-palliatives-adamawa-gov-gives-looters-12-hours-or-else/

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Tuesday said that the nation is sitting on a keg of gun powder regarding the issue of fake news, hence the need for the government to immediately begin to regulate the social media space.

The minister stated this while responding to questions when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values to defend the 2021 budget proposal.

He said the biggest challenge facing the country is the issue of fake news and misinformation, warning that the next war that will be fought in the country and across the globe may be fought through social media.

Mohammed further made reference to the recent #ENDSARS protest, saying that it was fought on social media.

”They mobilised using social media. The war today revolves around two things. Smart phones and data and these young men don’t even watch television or listen to the radio or read newspapers. We are sitting on a time bomb on this issue of fake news. Unfortunately, we have no national policy on social media and we need one. When we went to China, we could not get google, Facebook, and Instagram. You could not even use your email in China because they made sure it is censored and well regulated,” he said.

The minister however explained that the government is not seeking to shut down the social media space in the country because the social media has come to stay, but to have a social media policy that regulates the social media and check fake news and misinformation.

According to him, ”The biggest challenge facing Nigeria today is fake news and misinformation. Based on that, we dedicated an entire National Council on Information meeting to that issue after which we launched a national campaign against fake news in July 2018. We said then that the next war will be fought without a shot being fired, but with the use of fake news. We didn’t stop there. We went on a tour of all media houses to solicit their support in the fight against fake news. We launched the campaign to regulate social media which was bitterly contested by the stakeholders.

”We kept saying that if we don’t regulate social media, it will destroy us. Social media and fake news will not destroy Nigeria. In 2017, there was a fake video of the herdsmen and farmers’ crisis. It was a video of what happened in Tanzania and was played in Nigeria as if it was true. In 2017, a very popular entertainer in Nigeria raised a false alarm that students of the College of Education, Gidan Waya, Kaduna State had been murdered. There was an almost reprisal only for him to find out that it was not true. In the same 2017, we found out that some of the videos being posted are things that happened in other parts of the world. When there was a problem between South Africa and Nigeria, they were posting videos of what happened in India and Tanzania to suggest that Nigerians were being roasted alive. That was what led to the reprisals in the malls.

”At every time, the government has continued to draw attention that this is a menace. Unfortunately, it is not happening in Nigeria alone. The University of Ohio conducted research and discovered that Hillary Clinton lost the presidential election to Trump because of fake news which was promoted by Russia and they worked on three issues. First was that Trump had been endorsed by the Pope. The second was that when she was Secretary of State, she authorized the sale of arms and also that she was a very old person. These three things did a lot to sway the votes.

”In June this year, there was a riot in Ethiopia when a popular musician was killed. What the government did was to shut down social media for two days to bring that riot under control. Bear in mind that Ethiopia hosts the AU and office for Africa. But the truth is that the only way to do it was to shut down social media. We need technology and resources to dominate our social media. We need a social media policy to determine what can be seen and what cannot be seen.

“You will be shocked that when you start arguing with your children, they will be quoting the social media. So, we need a social media policy in Nigeria and we need to empower the various agencies and we need technology to be able to regulate the social media.”

But a member of the committee, Hon. Emmanuel Egoh Oghene, warned against any attempt to shut down the social media in the country, saying the action will be counter-productive and will lead the youths to believe that there was an attempt to truncate democracy in the country.

Oghene said it was wrong to always look at the negative sides of social media at all times without mentioning the good side.

He said: ”Talking about the recent looting of COVID-19 items, in some places there will be looting, but nobody will know. The government will not know and the police will not know. But because of social media, people will be posting as it is happening and the government will be able to go there and save lives. There was a time when some boys were digging the road and because of social media, this information came out and the situation was arrested. If there are no social media, that will not happen.”

The lawmaker added that China is not a good example because it is a communist country, while Nigeria has always been a free democratic country.


https://ybtcnews.com/fake-news-fg-calls-for-regulation-of-social-media/

YBTC News-Dr Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health, on Tuesday in Abuja has expressed concern over the increasing rate of breast cancer in the country and urged women to go for regular screening.

Mr Ehanire made the call at the opening of the 2020 edition of the Annual International Cancer Week where he said reports from the Nigerian National System of Cancer Registries showed that breast cancer in Nigeria increased significantly between 1960 and 2016.

“Between 1960 and 1969 only 13.7 per cent out of 100,000 women in Nigeria had breast cancer; the figure rose to 24.7 per cent women out of 100,000 women between 1990 and 1999.

“An average of 26.1 per cent in 100,000 women in the country had breast cancer between 2000 and 2016.

Also Read: World Cancer Day: 5 ways to prevent cancer

“This gory statistics has shown that cancer has become an emerging disease in Nigeria and it is of serious public health concern.

“Breast cancer has remained the commonest cancer in Nigeria for a long time now and the incidence is still on the increase.

“Therefore, well thought out steps must be taken to forestall the unacceptable growing trend,’’ the minister said.

“This development made the Federal Ministry of Health to take the leadership role and harness all available materials and human resources within its domain to disrupt this pattern from gaining grounds or becoming established.

Also Read: World Cancer Day: Why you should stop drinking water from plastic bottles

“I am particularly glad that as part of activities marking the 2020 edition of the International Cancer Week is the launch of a very important document – “The National Training Manual, Data tools and Job Aids for Secondary Prevention of Cervical Cancer in Nigeria.’’

The minister said the resource material was very crucial for effective implementation of the National Strategic Plan for the Control and Prevention of Cancer of the Cervix (2017-2021).

He commended the Clinton Health Access Initiative, a non-governmental organisation and the WHO for supporting Nigeria to develop the valuable tools.

“It is my hope that all the stakeholders will find them useful as we all work together to actualise the goal of elimination of cervical cancer by the year 2030 in line with the WHO declaration, the minister added.

Ehanire also said that the ministry had approved the development of a ChemoSafe and Hospice and Palliative Care Policies in line with the National Cancer Control Plan (2018-2022).

“It is also worthy of note that the American Cancer Society has offered to support the Ministry of Health in implementing some key areas of the ChemoSafe Policy.

“This is a commendable gesture and I hereby call on all other partners to express their areas of interests and reach out to support government in the fight against cancers,’’ he said.

In her address, Mrs Pauline Tallen, Minister of Women Affairs said the ministry would continue to provide awareness for women and girls and work with all relevant bodies in the fight against cancers.

Tallen, represented by Mrs Funke Oladipo, Acting Director, Women Affairs, in the ministry, said it was committed to improving the social health status of women, girls and children.

“We will continue to partner with relevant bodies in the development of programmes and projects aimed at enhancing the health status of women,’’ she said.

The minister thanked the Ministry of Health for its partnership in hosting of a two-day Breast Cancer Screening as part of activities to commemorate the 2020 cancer week.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Mr Abdulaziz Abdullahi said cancers resulted in more than 70,000 deaths in Nigeria annually.

He said this was further compounded by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health system.

“Cancer invariably contributed to the number of mortalities at the wake of the pandemic because the patients are more at risk of being seriously ill or dying if they develop COVID-19 infection.

“That means they are extremely vulnerable and therefore, a lot needs to be done to prevent them from getting the infection,’’ he said.

Abdullahi said activities planned for the cancer week were expected to spur and galvanise action by all stakeholders towards the prevention of cancer and COVID-19 infection among cancer patients in Nigeria.

“Prevention, early detection of COVID-19 infection and prompt intervention is critical for the survival of cancer patients in the COVID-19 era and beyond,’’ he stressed.

The permanent secretary urged all stakeholders to live a more physically active life, control their body weight mass and eat healthy among other healthy lifestyles to avoid cancer

The theme of the 2020 edition of the International Cancer Week is “Cancer in Nigeria in the COVID-19 Era and Beyond’’.

https://ybtcnews.com/cancer-week-fg-laments-increasing-cases-of-breast-cancer-in-nigeria/

YBTC News-The Executive Vice Chairman, EVC, of the Nigeria Communication Commission, Professor Umar Danbatta, has revealed that the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy is planning to reduce the cost of data from N1,000 to N390 per gigabyte.

Speaking to journalists in Kano on Saturday, Mr Danbatta disclosed that part of the plan was the new national broadband plan for the year 2020-2025, which says Nigeria must provide broadband connectivity, cover virtually all parts of the country and deploy 4G infrastructure also across the country.

According to him, the ministry was tasked to come up with a digital economy policy and strategies, adding that all the efforts put in place are intended to bring the cost of data down to N390 as against the N1,000 that Mobile Network Operators, MNOs, are charging. “Actually the cost has come down to N1,000/gigabyte of data, but the government is saying that we should be targeting N390 in the next 3 to 5 years. To achieve subsidized data cost, according to Mr Dambatta, the country must provide pervasive broadband data infrastructure.

“We need pervasive broadband data infrastructure because at the landing point in Lagos, where we have all the submarine cables. You know, that is why we have them. There is the main cable, 133, West African Sea Cable (WASC). And there is the other one which Glo company is trying to deploy. “This, combined, have data capacity of 40 terabyte. This data capacity is at the landing point in Lagos.

That is from the coast, where there is ocean. Until and unless you move this massive 40 terabyte data capacity into the hinterland because the undersea cables are terminating in Lagos. “Hinterland consists virtually all the major cities of the country and the 774 Local Governments of Nigeria. Through this way you will be meeting demands for data with appropriate or commensurate supply of data.

This is how it will enable Nigerians to pay less data tariff. “But this massive capacity of data at landing cost can’t move itself. There is the need to build fibre cables that can carry this capacity to the hinterland. “We are indeed pursuing the plan.

There is infrastructure and company licensing framework that could give the companies the ability to afford to sell the data to the retail agents, who will sell the data to the citizens,” he explained. At the moment, he added, the plan is not happening but is what the country intends to do to bring the cost of data down from N1,000 /gig to N390/gig, adding that the plan is an important policy of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The EVC however said Nigeria is among the countries with lowest data cost in the whole Africa. “Following observation of the ranking, which was carried out by reputable global organizations, the commission had found out that Nigeria stands in 4th position among the countries with lowest data tariff on the continent,” Mr Danbatta said. He said Nigeria’s data cost is more than $2, adding that South Africa, despite her economic development, sells data higher than Nigeria and the country is not even among the lowest.

“It is true that Nigerians are yearning for low data prices. Nigeria has one of the lowest data tariff in Africa. When we observed the rankings by global reputable organizations, we discovered that in the rankings of data services and cost, we are like number 4. “Virtually all the African countries were listed in the ranking. Our data price is $2 and a few cents.

“In South Africa, despite their economic development, they sell data higher than Nigeria. To be honest with you, South Africa is not even among the lowest. Cost of data services doesn’t need to come down,” he said.


https://ybtcnews.com/ncc-to-reduce-data-cost-from-n1000-to-n390-per-gigabyte-danbatta/

There has been a lot of noise in Nigeria recently about the passage or non- passage of the seemingly vexatious Water Resources Bill before the country’s national assembly.

However, the Bill has been thrown out of the lower legislative chamber, the House of Representatives for now after heated debates and exchange of harsh languages by concerned legislators.

“We note that Ijaw life is intertwined with water, and water is the very essence of our livelihood and survival. Therefore this bill is another backdoor attempt to own our resources”.

“It is also an obvious intent to usurp the rights of autonomous federating units, which should be the constitution, to hold the power to regulate the affairs of its people and property within its territory”.

The quotations above are among the resolutions reached at a virtual conference held by the Ijaw Nation Development Group to examine the Bill known as National Water Resources Bill (2020).

The resolutions, signed by Denzil Kentebe and Comrade Joseph Evah, demand an invitation for further consultations, engagement to negotiate for a water resources Bill that protects her strategic interests, for the greater good of all Nigerians.

Sharing the same view, youths from Urhobo ethnic nationality, under the umbrella body of Urhobo Progress Union, Youth Wing, also known as Ukoko R’Ighele R’Urhobo, described the insistence of the Federal Government to go ahead with the National Water Resource Bill as insensitive and a threat to peace.

The youths, represented by their President, Ovie Ebireri, advised the Federal Government to listen to the voice of reason and discard the proposed Bill in the interest of national peace and unity, adding that as youths, he and others will resist its implementation in their areas.

In a similar vein, some stakeholders have continued to express grave concerns about the re-emergence and pursuance of the Bill, which has hitherto, been put to rest by the 8th National Assembly.

Prominent leaders from Southern Nigeria and the Middle Belt, including Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue and Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, have kicked against the Bill.

Also, socio-political organisations, including; PANDEF, Afenifere and Ohanaeze Ndigbo, have condemned the Bill, saying it is an attempt by the Federal Government to secure the lands around the rivers in southern Nigeria, to resettle herdsmen after the Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) initiative was publicly shut down.

Ortom says the provisions of the Bill are at variance with the Land Use Act, and that the bill is a “disguised land-grabbing legislation designed to grant pastoralists unhindered access to river basins, adjacent marine and coastal environments across the country”.

The Bill has continued to gather widespread national opposition to its assent, since it was brought before the 9th National Assembly.

As a result of continued criticisms, the Federal Government has however reassured Nigerians that contrary to the position of some critics, it has no hidden agenda by taking the Bill to the National Assembly.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, at a media briefing to address the issues and controversies trailing the Bill, says there is no ulterior motive in the legislation.



Read complete article here: https://nassvoices.com.ng/2020/10/16/not-yet-uhuru-for-the-national-water-resources-bill/

Nigerian musician, #David Adeleke Popularly known as Davido, has denied joining protesters in Abuja to demand justice for victims of brutality by personnel of the freshly disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad.


See video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvdFrGCMt7Y

A group of campaigners with the name “Citizen action for good governance” are clamouring for the reform of the Special Anti- robbery Squad also known as SARS just few hours after the disbandment of the Squad from operation in the 36 states of the federation by the Inspector General of Police.

According to these protesters who spoke to YBTCNews, advocates for #EndSARS are paving way for more social vices in form of internet frauds.

Also Read: #ENDSARS: IGP Dissolves The Special Anti-robbery Squad Nationwide

The sponsored group conveyed their protest carrying placards and flyers with different captions in support of correcting the anomalies in SARS and other Police Formations as they outrightly oppose the decision of the Inspector General of Police at the three Arm zone area in Abuja today using the hashtag LETS #ReformSARS

These protest comes just few minutes after the congregation of the #EndSARS protesters were disbanded by police operatives with teargas and spray from water cannons at the three Arm zone.

https://ybtcnews.com/group-opposes-ig-of-police-disbandment-of-sars-operatives/

Watch Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HR2h2yZaPE?t=1

NASSVoicesNg in this short article will be taking you through some of the breakdown of the N13.08 trillion proposed for the 2021 Budget by president Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, 8 2020 at a joint sections at the Ninth National Assembly.

The 2021 budget was themed Budget of Economic Recovery and Resilience aimed at promoting economic diversification and social inclusion.
The budget is projected at $40bpd (Crude oil),with the exchange rate at N379 to $1, GDP at 3% and inflation rate at 11.95%
An aggregate expenditure of N13.08 trillion is proposed for the 2021 Budget
4.Ninth National Assembly gets N128 billion in 2021 budget

N3.8 trillion has been allocated to all MDAs for execution of capital projects.
N6bn has been budgeted for the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
N420 billion has been provided to sustain the Social Investment Programme (N-Power, School feeding)
Federal Agencies has been be directed to seek permission before any recruitment
9.Ministry of health gets N380.21b

The education ministry budget has been increased by 65% to improve quality of education
Lastly, revenue generation remains our major challenge. however, government is determined to meet up with growing expenditure commitment through borrowing, said President Buhari

See more breakdowns below:

2021 Expenditure

An aggregate expenditure of N13.08 trillion is proposed for the Federal Government in 2021. This includes N1.35 trillion spending by Government-Owned Enterprises and Grants and Aid funded expenditures of N354.85 billion. For 2021, the proposed N13.08 trillion expenditure comprises:

a. Non-debt Recurrent Costs of N5.65 trillion;
b. Personnel Costs of N3.76 trillion;
c. Pensions, Gratuities and Retirees’ Benefits of N501.19 billion;
d. Overheads of N625.50 billion;
e. Debt Service of N3.124 trillion;
f. Statutory Transfers of N484.49 billion; and
g. Sinking Fund of N220 billion (to retire certain maturing bonds).
Recurrent Expenditure

In our efforts to enhance national security and human capital development, a major part of the 2021 recurrent cost estimate is allocated to paying salaries and overheads in MDAs providing these critical public services. These include:

a. N227.02 billion for the Ministry of Interior;
b. N441.39 billion for the Ministry of Police Affairs;
c. N545.10 billion for Ministry of Education;
d. N840.56 billion for Ministry of Defence; and
e. N380.21 billion for Ministry of Health.
Capital Expenditure

An aggregate sum of N3.85 trillion is expected to be available for capital projects in 2021, as summarised below:

a. N1.80 trillion for MDAs’ capital expenditure;
b. N745 billion for Capital Supplementation;
c. N355 billion for Grants and Aid-funded projects;
d. N20 billion for the Family Homes Fund;
e. N25 billion for the Nigeria Youth Investment fund;
f. N336 billion for 60 Government Owned Enterprises;
g. N247 billion for capital component of Statutory Transfers; and
h. N710 billion for projects funded by Multi-lateral and Bi-lateral loans.
2021 Capital Projects

Key capital spending allocations in the 2021 Budget include:

a. Power: N198 billion (inclusive of N150 billion for the Power Sector Recovery Plan);
b. Works and Housing: N404 billion;
c. Transportation: N256 billion;
d. Defence: N121 billion;
e. Agriculture and Rural Development: N110 billion;
f. Water Resources: N153 billion;
g. Industry, Trade and Investment: N51 billion;
h. Education: N127 billion;
i. Universal Basic Education Commission: N70 billion;
j. Health: N132 billion;
k. Zonal Intervention Projects: N100 billion; and
l. Niger Delta Development Commission: N64 billion.
Statutory Transfers

The sum of N484.49 billion provided for Statutory Transfers in the 2021 Budget represents an increase of N56.46 billion (or 13 percent) over the revised 2020 provision. The Statutory Transfer provisions are:

a. Niger Delta Development Commission – N63.51 billion;
b. North East Development Commission – N29.70 billion;
c. National Judicial Council – N110.00 billion;
d. Universal Basic Education Commission – N70.05 billion;
e. Independent National Electoral Commission – N40.00 billion;
f. National Assembly – N128.00 billion;
g. Public Complaints Commission – N5.20 billion;
h. Human Rights Commission – N3.00 billion; and
i. Basic Health Care Provision Fund – N35.03 billion.

https://nassvoices.com.ng/2020/10/10/10-takeaways-from-budget-2021-presented-by-president-buhari/

#ENDSARS: Police, Social media Influencers and lessons from NairaMarley
---------------------
The general notion of a social media influencer is a typical individual who has huge followers on social media platforms. Unknowingly, the power and importance of a social media influencer can be overwhelming and impactful. Most importantly, social media influencers have the power to motivate almost all their followers to take an action on a cause.

This could translate to societal and government-related issues or any cause of action. Lately, there have been widespread reactions, over a viral video of young man who was shot in front of a hotel in Ughelli, Delta State, by Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) operatives. The gruesome act reignited the already existing #ENDSARS campaign, which has been on for a while. Citizens and Non-governmental Organizations, particularly Amnesty International, had accused officers of the department for orchestrating illegal and wanton arrests, which has led to the detainment, torture and extortion of citizens and their relatives.

Also Read: #ENDSARS: Beyond Reforms, Restructuring and Bans

Legally, SARS is a branch of the Nigerian Police Force, which deals with crimes associated with firearms, armed robbery, car snatching, kidnappings and cattle rustling. However, they have been accused of harassing youths for their modes of dressing, types of phones they use and even contacts they have. These accusations brought about the #ENDSARS social media campaign. Over Ten thousand people had recently signed a petition, demanding the immediate scrapping of the squad.

The power of influencers to draw the attention of government, as well as security agencies on issues of significant concerns can be seen from the action of a popular Nigerian musician, NairaMarley. The musician had recently called on the youths to embark on a peaceful protest with regards to the #ENDSARS campaign. The protest, which was expected to hold on Tuesday, 6th of October, was later suspended after the Police Force responded to NairaMarley’s tweet. The musician said, “we need to stop protesting on twitter because that’s all we’ve been doing. We need to protest in real life. Just say you are scared and you will rather tweet from home. “The protest is a cry for change. Nigerian youths and citizens should feel safe. The government has promised to make changes.

Whilst we anticipate their actions it is important we stick together to sort the issues on ground. “Protesting is never a disturbance of the peace. Corruption, injustice, war and intimidation are disturbances of the peace.” Reacting to his tweets, Alex Ozomoya also said, “I stand with you Naira. In as much as we all want a peaceful protest, but if this so called monsters in uniform dare to take a life in the course of the protest, it is going to result to war. I think someone that is influential need to pass this message to their superiors.” Also Chibuike Nkalu, added that every citizen possess the right to life, liberty and happiness. But in Nigeria, the very body tasked with ensuring the protection of life and property is the body denying these rights to our citizens. “Enough is Enough.

The time to end SARS brutality is now,” Nkalu noted assertively. Minister of Youths Development and Sports, Mr. Sunday Dare, while responding to NairaMarley’s tweet, urged him and other youths not to embark upon any protest. He said, “your grievances are being addressed at the highest level of government. As the Minister in charge of youths, I know this is an issue that must be tackled.

Government is doing just that.” There was a swift and tactical response from the Police Force, who assured the youths that their voices and complaints on the issue are heard and would be addressed. The Police maintained that the orders and restrictions on the operations of SARS and others, already issued by the IGP are just the initial steps out of the many reforms planned for the Tactical Squads. They assured that the leadership of the NPF will work with the Ministry of Youths and other stakeholders, including youth leaders, youth entrepreneurs, CSOs and others, in formulating and implementing consensual....

Continue here:https://ybtcnews.com/endsars-police-social-media-influencers-and-lessons-from-nairamarley/


#ENDSARS: Beyond Reforms, Restructuring and Bans
---------------------------------
YBTC News-History has it that the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) came into existence when one Israel Rindam, a gallant Nigerian Army Colonel, was killed by police officers at a checkpoint in Lagos in 1992. Nigerian soldiers flooded the streets of Lagos in search of any police officer, leading to the withdrawal of Nigerian police from checkpoints, security areas and other points of interest for criminals.

The then increase in crime as a result of the police absence birthed the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, with just 15 officers working in the dark without the army’s knowledge when tracking police radio chatter and normal policing duties didn’t resume until after 2 weeks of dialogue between the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Police.

It is important to note that the SARS unit was instrumental to the arrest of most of the notorious criminals in many parts of the country. As record may have it, as at 2017, SARS has been able to arrest more than three thousand suspected kidnappers across the country. In fact, the successes recorded in reducing the high rate of crime and criminality, especially kidnapping and other deadly vices in most parts of the country, is largely the handiwork of SARS operatives.

Unfortunately, in late 2017, Nigerian human rights defenders and activists launched massive campaign tagged #EndSARS which was aimed at addressing widespread human rights violations including extrajudicial executions, torture, and other ill-treatment, rape and extortion by officers of the SARS.

Similarly, reports by Amnesty International reveals that detainees in SARS custody have been subjected to a variety of torture including hanging, mock execution, beating, punching and kicking, burning with cigarettes, waterboarding, near-asphyxiation with plastic bags, forcing detainees to assume stressful bodily positions and sexual violence.

In reaction to the public widespread outcry which gained international attention, Federal Government repeatedly reformed SARS. On 14 August 2018, Vice-President Osinbajo had ordered an immediate reform of SARS, after a widespread public outcry against their conduct. He also directed the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to set up a judicial panel to investigate SARS alleged unlawful activities.

Prior to the recent ban on SARS operations after another public outcry over SARS illegalities, the Nigeria Police Force had, in December 2017, June 2018, January 2019 and in February this year, made related announcements of a ban of SARS and an immediate restructuring of the outfit so that rogue SARS officers would be prevented from violating citizen’s rights, extorting, torturing and extra-judicially executing innocent citizens.
It is evident that restructuring SARS is not enough, unless the government also takes concrete steps to protect vulnerable Nigerians from police abuses.

Needless to say, there is a critical need for the positive impacts of the professional, effective SARS operations in improving national security. As a matter of fact, some SARS operatives have been parts of several tactical and successful operations across the country.


Continue here:https://ybtcnews.com/endsars-beyond-reforms-restructuring-and-bans/


Akure: Again,FSARS In Another Scandal Over Torture,Extortion
------------------------------------------

YBTC News—A young Nigerian, Fatayo Williams a digital Marketing Consultant to Wema bank has narrated how men of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad assaulted him,tortured him and took all the money on him in Akure.

In an interaction with YBTC News, he revealed that he had gone on a few days holiday when he was accosted by men of the anti-robbery squad for no reason.

See his full story below

“The assault and extortion I suffered in the hands of The Federal SARS in Akure today is enough to push me to get a visa and run away. I don’t deserve such a treatment in my own country ” he said .

Narrating the incident , he said he arrived Akure on a tour before the unfortunate incident

“I arrived in Akure on official duty with some of my colleagues on Thursday, we had just finished the OAU leg of our tour and in town for the FUTA leg.”

“We had our event on Friday in FUTA and every other member of the team returned to Lagos on Saturday morning except me.”

“I even went on to explain why I am in town and asked that they reach out to any of my employer’s branches here in Akure if they doubt any information i have given”


continue here:https://ybtcnews.com/akure-againfsars-in-another-scandal-over-tortureextortion/

INDEPENDENCE DAY ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA ON THE OCCASION OF NIGERIA’S SIXTIETH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY, THURSDAY
1ST OCTOBER 2020

Fellow Nigerians,

YBTC NEWS-I speak to you today as your President and fellow citizen on this epoch occasion of our country’s 60th independence Anniversary. As President, I wish to renew my appreciation to Nigerians for entrusting me with your hopes and aspirations for a better and greater Nigeria.

Today, it is my unique privilege to re-commit myself to the service of this great country of great people with profound diversities and opportunities. We are bound by destiny to be the largest and greatest black nation on earth.
At this stage in our nationhood it is important that we reflect how we got here to enable us work TOGETHER to get to where we aspire to be as a strong indivisible nation, united in hope and equal in opportunity.
On October 1st 1960 when Prime Minister Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa received the constitutional instruments symbolizing Nigeria’s independence, he expressed his wish that having acquired our rightful status as an independent sovereign nation, history would record that the building of our nation proceeded at the wisest pace.
This optimism was anchored on the peaceful planning, full and open consultation and harmonious cooperation with the different groups which culminated in Nigeria emerging as a country without bitterness and bloodshed.
Our founding fathers understood the imperative of structuring a National identity using the power of the state and worked towards unification of Nigerians in a politically stable and viable entity.
That philosophy guided the foundation that was laid for our young nation of 45 million people with an urban population of approximately 7million occupying an area of 910,768 square kilometers. These demographics led to development challenges for which major efforts were made to overcome.
Today, we grapple with multiple challenges with a population exceeding 200million occupying the same land mass but 52% residing in urban areas.
Sixty years of nationhood provides an opportunity to ask ourselves questions on the extent to which we have sustained the aspirations of our founding fathers. Where did we do the right things? Are we on course? If not where did we stray and how can we remedy and retrace our steps?
Upon attaining independence, Nigeria’s growth trajectory was anchored on policies and programmes that positively impacted on all sectors of the economy. However, this journey was cut short by the 30-months of civil war.
We came out of the civil war with a focus on reconstruction, rehabilitation and reconciliation that enabled the country to put in place world class development structures and a strengthened public service that well served the government. This positive trajectory continued with a return to democratic government which was truncated by another round of military rule.
For a cumulative 29 of our 60 years existence as a nation, we have been under military rule.
My summary of our journey so far as a nation is necessary to appropriately chart where we need to go and how to get there TOGETHER.
Today, I am aware that our economy along with every single economy in the world is in crisis. We still face security challenges in parts of the country, while our society suffers from a high loss of moral rectitude which is driven by unbridled craving for political control.
An underlying cause of most of the problems we have faced as a nation is our consistent harping on artificially contrived fault-lines that we have harboured and allowed unnecessarily to fester.
In addition, institutions such as civil service, police, the judiciary, the military all suffered from a general decline.
We need to begin a sincere process of national healing and this anniversary presents a genuine opportunity to eliminate old and outworn perceptions that are always put to test in the lie they always are.
The stereotype of thinking of ourselves as coming from one part of the country before seeing ourselves as Nigerians is a key starting point to project us on the road to our deserved nation’s evolution and integration.
To start this healing process, we are already blessed with the most important asset any nation requires for such – OUR PEOPLE – and this has manifested globally in the exploits of Nigerians in many fields.
It has been demonstrated time and time again that Nigerians in the diaspora frequently excel in science, technology, medicine, sports, arts and many other fields.
Similarly, the creativity, ingenuity and resourcefulness of the Nigerian at home have resulted in globally recognized endeavours.
I am convinced that if we pursue our aspirations TOGETHER we would be able to achieve whatever we desire. That informed our adopting the theme TOGETHER to mark this epochal event.
Together we can change our condition for the better and more importantly, together we can do much more for ourselves and for our country.
I chose the path of self-reflection because this is what I do on a daily basis and I must confess that at most times, I always felt the need for a collective reflection as I know that the foundation for a solid future which this administration is laying can only be sustainable if there is a collective commitment by Nigerians.
Nigeria is not a country for Mr. President, any ruling or opposition party but a country for all of us and we must play our part, irrespective of challenges we face, to make this country what we desire.
To achieve this, we must focus our minds, TOGETHER as a people, on ways of resolving the identified critical challenges that underlie our present state. These include:
a. Evolving and sustaining a democratic culture that leaves power in the hands of the people;


continue here:https://ybtcnews.com/video-nigeria-independence-day-speech-by-president-buhari/

President Muhammadu Buhari would next week present the 2021 budget estimates to a joint sitting of the National Assembly.

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, made this known on Tuesday during plenary in a speech delivered to welcome lawmakers back from the Senate’s annual recess.

The Senate President while commending the Joint Committee on Finance and National Planning for carrying out comprehensive legislative work on the 2020-2022 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper, stated that consideration of its report by the upper chamber would precede presentation of the 2021 budget estimates next week by the President.

“The Joint committee will present it’s report to the Senate today for consideration. This is a precursor to the presentation of the 2021 Budget Estimates by the Executive Arm of Government soon. I am aware that the Executive will be presenting the 2021 Budget Estimates by next week,” Lawan said.

The Senate President also announced that the upper chamber will provide a one month window for Budget defense by Ministries, Departments and Agencies morning of government.

“Like last year, the month of October, 2020 will be dedicated for this exercise. Subsequent months of November and December will be dedicated to the internal processing of the Budget by NASS.

“The various MDAs are therefore advised to ensure that they avail themselves the opportunity of the Budget defense window to appear with all the relevant and necessary information to defend their Budget Estimates,” Lawan added.

On the Petroleum Industry Bill, the Senate President said that the Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Petroleum Resources (Upstream) and Gas had preliminary engagements with the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other Stakeholders in the Oil and Gas industry, to discuss the critical piece of legislation.

According to him, “the PIB has been conveyed to the Senate for consideration.”


https://ybtcnews.com/just-in-buhari-to-present-2021-budget-next-week/

YBTC News-Twenty-four hours after the announcement of the results of Edo election, which was lost by our party the All Progressives Congress (APC) — due to the internal wrangling, I gathered my thoughts and tweeted the following: “Clearly, we need a new way of doing things. Clearly, the young people of our party are unhappy with yesterday’s loss, which was precipitated by the old way of doing things. Now, we need solutions! 2023 is a heartbeat away!”

These thoughts came to the fore after experiencing a whirlwind of emotions that stemmed from the backlog of work put into not only the Edo election, but also the creation and curation of the vibrant youth base of the APC.

Since it’s formation, many of us have supported and sacrificed for the APC. This is because we believed, and still believe, that it is currently the most viable vehicle for change in Nigeria. However, after Edo, it is clear that this child that we helped to birth, nurture and push into power needs to correct course before it completely veers off track and brings to naught everything that millions of its young supporters believe in.

The first thing that comes to mind is our dysfunctional party system, which hurts the many to benefit a selected few; allows for factionalzation; and permits the indiscriminate suspension of members. This is the system that allowed a ward chairman to suspend the national chairman of the party easily— and without due process. One wrong was done, another was allowed to follow, and Edo became a culmination of that spiral effect. Our party’s loss in that election is a clear indication that things if left unchecked will continue to precipitate out of control.

To check this, the APC must stop being a party of arbitrary antics. The processes that govern everything, from the pre-primary activities, to the candidate selection and disqualification process must be revamped. Otherwise, we risk alienating those that have a good chance of winning on our party’s platform, but may experience internal opposition from some strongmen in our fold.

Additionally, we must institute and institutionalize a reward and discipline system that ensures that no one is seen to be above the party. Those who perpetuate personal vendettas using the instrument of the party, need to be called to order and sanctioned publicly. This will help to set a precedence, as well as send a message to other potential detractors that this is not a party that tolerates the nonsense that has been seen in the past in other political parties.

This is why, as we move forward, as the young people of the party, we must begin to push for internal reforms. We must begin to ask that a party registry is established months before any primaries. This will ensure that those that are eligible to vote in our internal primaries, are those that actually vote — instead of mercenaries who do not have our party’s best interests at heart.

Again, if we are to continue this journey for good governance on this platform,.......

continue here:https://ybtcnews.com/an-open-letter-to-the-leaders-and-young-people-of-the-apc/

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared PDP Governor Godwin Obaseki winner of Saturday Edo state governorship poll.

INEC Returning Officer for Edo 2020 governorship election, Prof. Akpofure Rem-Rukeh who the Vice-Chancellor of University of Petroleum Resources, announced Effuru the result at the Electoral Body Office in Auchi Road, Benin on Sunday.

See full result:
https://ybtcnews.com/inec-declares-pdp-obaseki-winner-of-edo-governorship-election/

In October, 2016, veteran Daily Trust columnist, Mahmud Jega in his usual sarcastic approach wrote a column titled “Everyone blames everyone else” to capture the endless, fusillade of blames that Nigerians have been engaged in. Perhaps, if Jega could write again on the same topic, surely, an avalanche of blame games could and would have been unravelled.

To borrow Jega’s boots in the blame game, just Last week, many Nigerians took to their social media handles to specifically blame president Muhammadu Buhari for blaming who he described as “corrupt” middlemen for the incessant rise in food prices in the country. President Muhammadu Buhari has on the record proved that he is a top player in the game of blames. In a Sunday Herald of 20th January, 1984 cover story, Buhari who was military Head of State then was reported blaming middlemen for the poor economy of the country.

In the same vein, when the masses are busy blaming Buhari and his party, All Progressive Congress(APC) for the economic hardship in the country, the APC is busy and constitunously blaming the previous administration of Peoples’ Democratic Party(PDP). It is quite an absurdity that the broom is still blaming the umbrella for its inability to sweep and keep the house clean.

While university students are blaming the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) for the endless strike actions, ASUU is blaming the Federal Government for not complying with its provisions. For some months now, ASUU has been on an indefinite strike action due to the issue of Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System(IPPIS). ASUU as a Union has refused to agree on the terms and agreement of the FG on the software while giving out their reasons and alternatives. Yet, the FG on the other comfortable corner is blaming ASUU for not enrolling on the payroll system. Settling this matter is a big matter.

Moving forward, It can be recalled that some states governments are blaming the federal government over disbursement of funds for infrastructure and provision of security to its people. These states have come out clearly to put the blame on the FG for not providing necessary funds to complete, renovate or rehabilitate a particular project in their states. Presently, I know of a state that is planning to block the passage of heavy duty trucks plying the state roads. This is because the FG has refused to intervene in the repairs of the federal roads in the state.

Similarly, while the people are blaming the states for the poor security situation of the country, states are telling the FG that security is constitutionally in your hands. As the people shout to their governors for security, the governors politely and indirectly throw the blame to the FG.

Also, as Nigerians serially continue to blame the Distribution Companies for the unstable power supply in the country, these DISCos did not hide their urge to tell Nigerians that: “you have to pay before you get power”. The DISCOs perhaps becacuse they are private enterprises have consistently remain inconsistent in the provision of stable electricity in some parts of the country. Little wonder why many are now going back to solar power or inverter as an alternative to the NEPA palaver. Seemingly, the throw of blames in this angle appear endless.

While many Nigerians blamed former Minister Femi Fani Kayode for his short fuse drama, Jega, the veteran columnist in his August 31st, 2020 column titled: ‘Short Fuse of FFK’ blamed the journalist, Eyo Charles for asking a question on bankrolling. Now, Jega has crawled into the line of ‘blamers’

In addition, private school teachers who have been staying at home for the past six months without salaries are blaming both the FG and the Nobel COVID-19. In the same avenue, parents who have been at home too with the exception of some senior civil servants are tired with the stay-at home situation of their children. They’d prefer the children go to school and allow....

Continue here:https://ybtcnews.com/state-of-the-nations-everyone-blames-everyone-else/

As I’m writing this, six people were confirmed dead, 4 injured and others were abducted after an attack which lasted for almost 3 hours by armed bandits in Kagara, headquarters of Rafi local government area of Niger state.

The attack is one of the series of deadly terrorists’ attacks in recent times in some parts of Niger state. Insecurity has been and still one of the crippling forces to Nigeria’s development. From armed banditry to kidnappings, the northern Nigeria specifically has been ranked as one of the most dangerous places to live.

When President Muhammad Buhari came in 2015, his promises on insecurity, economy and the fight against corruption became an enormous emotional appeal to his followers. President Buhari and his political party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) convincingly convinced the electorates that the previous administration were nothing but looters of the treasury. The campaign propaganda was “superb”.

Also Read: Politics Today: As we step into the “Next Level”… (https://ybtcnews.com/politics-today-as-we-step-into-the-next-level/)


Five years down the lane, things have seemingly fallen apart in President Buhari’s ‘messianic’ administration. Starting from security, after the ‘technically defeated” phrase by the Army, the Boko Haram terror group who are the chief threat to Nigeria’ s security have been terrorizing the North eastern states especially Borno. In fact, Governor Babagana Zulum’s convoy was attacked by the terror group some weeks back along Baga road where he went to distribute relief materials to IDPs.

It is has become a daily occurrence every day in the front pages of newspapers to find bold stories of either kidnappings, banditry or any terrorists attacks most especially in the north. After heated agitations and pressures from civil society groups the President is yet to consider changing the security chiefs. Warnings upon last warnings have been issued to the security chiefs countlessly by the president but yet things are still falling apart. If things aren’t working right from their strategies and tactics why can’t the president deploy new officers to come up with their own tactics? We can’t be doing same thing over and over again expecting different results.

President Buhari had once accused Jonathan of incompetency because of the way he handled the issue of Boko Haram but now the ball is in his court and he seem confused on how to play it.

Similarly, the President has yesterday blamed corrupt middlemen for the hike in prices of food stuffs. This was contained in a statement released by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu that of “all these problems, the most worrisome are the activities of “corrupt” middlemen (with many of them discovered to be foreigners) and other food traders who serve as the link between farmers and consumers found to be systematically creating an artificial scarcity so that they can sell at higher prices.”

Undoubtedly, there are “corrupt” middlemen but aren’t they humans that cannot be seen or arrested for such dubious acts? For how long can we continue blaming marketers for the hike in prices of commodity?

In a similar vein, the President has approved the release of food items from the strategic reserves, including 30,000 tons of maize to animal feeds producers to ease the high cost of poultry production.

continue here:https://ybtcnews.com/why-things-are-falling-apart-for-president-muhammad-buhari/

The Director General, National Information Technology Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi has described African Continent as centre with great potentials especially in the development and domestication of digital innovation.

He said this during the annual Digital Africa Conference held this week with the theme “Africa’s Post-Pandemic High Tech World.”

The NITDA boss, who was represented by the Director, IT Infrastructure Solutions, Dr Usman Gambo Abdullahi at the event, affirmed that this year’s theme is indeed very apt, considering the resultant effect of COVID – 19 pandemic which has triggered an unprecedented demand for digital technology solutions.

According to him, that has also brought about what we now know as the ‘new normal’ with new opportunities and possibilities unlocked by digitalisation, adding that at this time, the importance of a digital enabled economy cannot be overemphasized.


Continue reading here:https://ybtcnews.com/africa-is-blessed-with-great-potentials-kashifu-dg-nitda/