Cement price hike increasing building collapse – COREN
The President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, has revealed that the arbitrary hike in cement prices is directly responsible for the increasing cases of building collapse in the country. “You will agree with me that this is one of the key culprits of building collapse. I am trying to connect the hike in the price of cement with the standardization in our building and the direct connection to building collapse. Gbwefi, who agreed with the COREN President that the cost of cement is directly related to building collapse, added that it also impacts tenancy rates. “Anything that has to do with livelihood should be treated as an emergency,” the Committee Chairman said.
Source:The Guardian
May 21, 2024 04:39 UTC
Lagos Govt seals 840 event centres, inspects 7,819 facilities in 1 year
“We’ve sealed 840 event centres and social facilities for safety violations and non-compliance with extant laws,” Oyerinde said. “Fire safety officers from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) successfully rescued 376 victims, preserving property estimated to be worth ₦152.22 billion. Oyerinde stressed that the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service had prioritised fire mitigation and emergency response strategies. He noted that the state constructed fire stations, modern workshops for Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and an access road to the 3rd Relief Camp. He said that this was part of its ongoing emergency, safety, and security initiatives.
Source:The Guardian
May 21, 2024 01:35 UTC
UK general election opinion poll tracker: Labour leading as election looms
The next UK general election is looming, with most analysts expecting it to be called late this year. The Guardian will track latest polling averages, sourced from all major British polling companies, until election day. The Scottish National party (SNP) is not included in the data the Guardian is using in the chart above. Source: Electoral Calculus . Seat predictions differ, but the one we show above is from the pollster Electoral Calculus.
Source:The Guardian
May 20, 2024 15:41 UTC
ATOPCON, NITP harp on physical development plans preparation
Consultant town planners have reiterated the need for government at the federal and state levels to prepare and implement physical development plans that align with social, economic and technological realities in the country. He said the idea of infrastructure provision before plot development should be reconsidered and advocated a more vibrant urban development bank for infrastructure growth. We need to revisit the planning application/permit process, speed and efficiency and physical planning institutional framework. ATOPCON President, Adebisi Adedire, expressed concern that the challenges faced in implementing physical development plans are significant ranging from economic uncertainties to social inequalities, and environmental threats to technological disruptions. He noted that effective physical planning incorporates strategies such as surveillance, and territorial reinforcement.
Source:The Guardian
May 20, 2024 15:14 UTC
JUST IN : CBN officially withdraws cybersecurity levy
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has officially withdrawn the directive earlier given to banks to enact the process of deduction of cyber security levy to be administered by the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA). Honourable Chinda had drawn the attention of the House to multiple interpretations of the CBN directive against the specifications in the Cybersecurity Act. The House then expressed worry that the Act would be implemented in error if immediate steps were not taken, to address the concerns around the interpretation of the CBN directive and the Cybersecurity Act. The CBN on the 6th of May, 2024, issued a circular mandating all banks, mobile money operators, and payment service providers, to implement a new cybersecurity levy, following the provisions laid out in the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) The deducted amount was to be explicitly noted in customer accounts under the descriptor “Cybersecurity Levy” and remitted by the financial institution.
Source:Nigerian Tribune
May 20, 2024 12:14 UTC
Life without innovation
Without innovation, creativity is not patentable – Innovation or invention is what creativity looks like. From ideation to innovation, value is created and solutions are birthed. Innovation is animated creativity, without innovation, creativity remains muted. Without innovation, a business is not presentable – “Innovation is the new competitive advantage. Without innovation, the future is not predictable – “Innovation is the future delivered.” – Jorge Barba.
Source:Nigerian Tribune
May 20, 2024 11:54 UTC
Let’s generate output to earn income
Oil revenue remains the dominant source of income for the economy, notwithstanding the structural or physical diversification shown by the rebasing. The estimate of the total GDP of the Nigerian economy moved from US$270 billion to US$510 billion at the 2014 exchange rate. That is the nature of returns on work or efforts that generate output and returns on rent-seeking efforts. That orientation gave way to the rapid but sustainable growth of the rent-seeking economy. Nigerian electricity companies want to charge appropriately without supplying electricity efficiently.
Source:Punch
May 20, 2024 08:59 UTC
NLC unaware of LP merger talks ahead 2027 — Ajaero
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, has said the congress was not aware of merger talks involving the Labour Party with some political parties in the country. The LP, which is a socio-democratic political party, was founded by the organised labour. However, due to internal conflict within the PDP, Obi left the party in 2022 and contested the 2023 presidential election as the candidate of the Labour Party. The former vice president mentioned that his recent meeting with Obi might indicate a possible alliance leading up to the 2027 general elections. When asked if the NLC would support merger talks that would make the LP cease to exist or if the organised labour would be involved in any merger talks involving the party, Ajaero said, “We are not aware of such talks.”
Source:Punch
May 20, 2024 08:55 UTC
What the people are saying…
We tried the parliamentary system; we tried the military; we tried dictatorship, and we have now tried the presidential system – which was better?”Another man cut in: “That is why the Baba is saying we should try our own African system”“Which African system? Black man, black ideas, black brains, black stomach, black everything; black behaviour!”“It means Baba himself is part of the problem. There must be someone in your family who will benefit”“Will that person share his or her salary with me?”“Are you, therefore, saying that there should be no salary increase?”“I am saying that Labour should also consider those of us who are not salary earners and pursue policies that will benefit everyone, not their members alone”“Labour is fighting for everyone. I am saying they should fight for benefits that will reach everyone””Like what and what?”“If we go back to agriculture and begin to grow both cash and food crops, food prices will drop and everyone will benefit. Truly, it is a peculiar mess of the highest order when the minister was reported as saying why we are in darkness is because Nigerians waste power by putting on their fridges and freezers days on-end!
Source:Nigerian Tribune
May 19, 2024 18:28 UTC
‘A history that’s been suppressed’: the Black cowboy story is 200 years old
View image in fullscreen Larry Callies, founder of the Black Cowboy Museum, in Rosenberg on 20 May 2021. Photograph: Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers/Getty ImagesToday, it seems like modern Black cowboys and cowgirls are everywhere. Like a game of cultural Rashomon, every equestrian has a different perspective on what helped Black cowboy culture surface. Photograph: Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times/Getty ImagesThe following year, Chicago-area folk musician Dom Flemons released Black Cowboys, a storytelling album of Black people who shaped the west. “And it’s such a refreshing, eye-opening shock value thing to see a Black cowboy.
Source:The Guardian
May 19, 2024 17:46 UTC
Stakeholders seek in-depth exploration of kola plants
Held at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo State, the conference (hybrid and physical), was organised by the LAUTECH Nanotechnology Research Group (NANO+) and the Pan Africana Strategic and Policy Research Group (PANAFSTRAG), Lagos. In a communiqué jointly signed by the Head of Research Group, Prof. Agbeje Lateef and Chairman, Local Organising Committee, Prof. M.A. “This will address issues on kola breeding and utilisation on which research efforts are at low-ebb. “There is need for the creation of a research hub on kola to showcase and disseminate research outcomes related to kola in West Africa sub-region. “There is need for the conservation of the germplasm of cultivated and wild species of kola plants was stressed.
Source:The Guardian
May 19, 2024 16:09 UTC
Lagos prevents 375 children from serving prison terms through diversion programme
• OPD Represents 250 Kids In Courts375 children in Lagos that should end up in prisons or custody after coming in conflict with the law or committing a crime have been prevented from ending up in prison or a custody through the state diversion programme. The Child Protection Specialist UNICEF, Mr. Denis Onoise, revealed this during a two-day workshop for local council chairmen and council stakeholders on the diversion programme organised by Lagos State Office of Public Defender. “We recognize that children are vulnerable and every child deserves a chance to thrive, regardless of their circumstances or mistakes they may have made.”
Source:The Guardian
May 19, 2024 15:13 UTC
Woman burns hands of stepchildren, aged 3, 7, for eating rice she cooked for their father
THE Adamawa State Police Command on Saturday gave details of how a woman burnt the hands of her stepchildren, who were three and seven years old, for eating the rice she cooked for their father. According to the command, she cooked rice, kept it for her husband, and then went out. However, the children, who were hungry when they came in, decided to eat the food kept for their father. The police operatives raced to the scene where the woman was arrested while the children were rushed to the hospital. The command wrote: “Most worrisome is the recent incident in which she cooked rice and kept it for her husband who happened to be the father of the victims and then went out.
Source:Nigerian Tribune
May 19, 2024 05:00 UTC
I was unlucky with women – 84-year old retired police officer
A retired Police Superintendent, Chief Bayo Alugbin, shares with TEMITOPE ADETUNJI his career life and other experiencesWhat was turning 84 like? They are all over the world doing well, and I’m grateful to God for that. Who were some of your colleagues and friends you worked with during your time as a police officer? I’m grateful that I’m here, alive. I’m grateful for being a Nigerian, and I am grateful God gave me good health too.
Source:Punch
May 19, 2024 04:34 UTC
How top 10 Nigerian newspapers reported Hajj 2024 inaugural flight
Muslim News reviews how Wednesday’s inaugural flight was reported on Thursday, May 16, in top 10 Nigerian newspapers with special focus on the cover story and the cover picture. The Guardian – No cover picture | A cover story, with headline, “Hajj 2024: FG subsidises Nigerian pilgrims with N90bn”3. Nigerian Tribune – No cover picture | A cover story, with headline, “Tinubu’s govt subsidised cost of 2024 Hajj with N90bn – Shettima”8. The Sun – No cover picture | A cover story, with headline, “FG subsidises 2024 hajj with N90bn – Shettima”9. Only one of the 10 newspapers used cover picture of the inaugural flight.
Source:The Guardian
May 18, 2024 16:37 UTC