Stakeholders pledge enabling environment as French investors visit Rivers

PORT HARCOURT—THE government and organised private sector in Rivers State have pledged to produce the enabling environment for the over 10 visiting French investment groups, exploring expansionist business opportunities in the state.

At a session to acquaint some French businessmen with prospective Nigerian partners and target clients in Port Harcourt, Rivers State House of Assembly and Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, PHACCIMA, jointly guaranteed a safe business environment, while pledging to take necessary steps to secure investor’s stakes in the state.

Deputy Speaker of the state Assembly, Mr. Leyii Kwanee, who spoke for government said through proactive legislations, provision of basic infrastructure, harmonious executive/legislature relationship and sustained commitment to peace and security, Rivers has become investors’ destination of choice.

Government’s overall efforts at building investor’s confidence, Kwanee noted, are manifested in ongoing legislative debates to harmonise taxes and reduce multiple taxation on businesses in the state, expansion of energy project towards achieving steady power supply and increased investment in security, among others.

“I am delighted this forum assembled top executives of major French companies also are in the state looking at investment possibilities in the state.  This lends credence to the conducive investment environment being fashioned out by the Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s administration. Be rest assured that the government will encourage you,” Kwanee told the French business tourists.

Engr. Emeka Nnachukwu, President of PHACCIMA, while giving the private sector perspective, said the wealth of natural resources, availability of labour, and cohesion of the local business community through the Port Harcourt Chambers, added to the government efforts, make Rivers the most investment friendly economy in Nigeria.

Nnachukwu, however, cautioned the visitors that “To take full advantage of the Rivers enabling environment, you must not act alone. You must be guided by the organised private sector,  if not through the chambers, then certainly through a qualified agent. And you must honour the Nigerian Content Act. Otherwise you are bound to fail.”

June 12 is a unique day – President Jonathan

Abuja -  President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday described June 12 as “a unique day that has changed the political history’’ of the country.
The president made the remarks at the inauguration of the Board of the Police Service Commission held at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“Today is also a unique day, June 12, a date that has changed the political history of this country in one way or the other.
“In some parts of the country, some state governments have declared public holiday to mark today, but at the centre, it has not been formally recognised as a public holiday.
“We appreciate what happened on this day that you are being inaugurated, I think it is a unique date,’’ he said.
The resident made the short remarks before he gave his charge to the board chaired by former Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mike Okiro.
It will be recalled that precisely 20 years ago, June 12, 1993, a presidential election was held in the country in which Late Chief Moshood Abiola was believed to be the winner.
The former Military Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida,  annulled the election which was adjudged by local and international observers to be the freest and fairest.
The annulment of the election led to crisis and outrage as well as the arrest and incarceration of Abiola, who died in detention on July 8, 1998. (NAN)

National development to be enhanced using space technology

FG to use space technology to enhance national development – Jonathan

Abuja- The Federal Government is rolling out plans to use space technology to enhance national security, communication, industrialisation and sustained socio-economic development.
President Goodluck Jonathan made this known on Tuesday when he inaugurated a 13-member National Space Council (NSC) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said that given the critical place of space technology in national security, communication, industrialisation and sustained socio-economic development, the need to properly structure and drive the national space programme could not be over-emphasised.
“This informs why our administration has constituted this council with high calibre membership.
“We must evolve clear cut initiatives that will not only fast-track our industrialisation process, but one that will also see us, within the shortest possible period, to be able to build our own motor vehicles, our own boats and our own aircraft.
“We should also be able to launch our own satellite manufactured in Nigeria from a launch site in Nigeria on a launch vehicle made in Nigeria.”
Jonathan said this was a challenge not only to the members of the council, but to all Nigerians.
“We should rededicate ourselves to building a better, technologically advanced, stable and prosperous Nigeria for our children.”
He reiterated government’s unwavering commitment to the actualisation of the goal of the programme, and urged members of the Council to evolve measures that would enable the country to maximally benefit from the huge investments in the development of space technology.
The Council is chaired by the President, while Vice President Namadi Sambo is the deputy chairman.
Other members are the ministers of science and technology, communication technology, education, defence, interior and national planning.
The attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice; professors Elijah Mshelia, Vincent Olunloyo and Francesca Okeke, and the director-general, National Space Research and Development Agency, are also members of the Council.
The National Space Council is the apex body charged with the responsibility of developing policy guidelines for the country’s activities in space, in addition to monitoring the implementation of the National Space Programme. (NAN)

Church protests against the citingof motor park on her premises

IBADAN— A Pentecostal Church, Gospel Faith Mission International, GOFAMINT, has urged the Oyo State Government to intervene towards resolving the problems arising from the citing of a motor park at the entrance of the worship centre by members of the Ojoo Unit of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, in Ibadan.
In an appeal letter signed by the General Secretary of the church, Pastor Ezekiel Ade Ojo and the Legal Officer, Sam Adegbite, which was sent to Governor Abiola Ajimobi of  Oyo State  and the Chief Controller of Federal Ministry of Works in Ibadan, the church said members of the NURTW forcefully occupied the entrance of the church premises overlooking the Ibadan/Ilorin main highway in Ibadan on Tuesday, May 14, 2013 and turned the place into their park.
According to the church, the union came in with the support of some staff of the Akinyele Local Government Area in Ibadan and Oyo State “YES O” Corps members and destroyed the gate, the fence and other valuable property put on to protect the church premises before they moved in.
The presence of the members of the NURTW at the entrance of the Church and their characteristic motor park behaviours, such as smoking of Indian hemp, defeacating around the premises and noise pollution, have since been intimidating members of the Church, leading to a reduction in worshippers and causing tension in the area.
The place has been the location of the Church’s National Headquarters for over three decades, long before the recent construction of the new Ibadan/Ilorin dual carriage way. Apart from the large over 10,000-capacity worship centre, the Church has within the said premises a National Secretariat building, a Press, a Bookshop, a Nursery/Primary school, a Prayer house, a Hostel and some residential buildings.
Noting that the presence of a motor park is incompatible with the serenity expected around a Church and a nursery/primary school, the Church urged the Oyo State government to speedily intervene in this situation to prevent violence, as the leadership of the church may not be able to restrain the youths who feel constantly harassed by the presence and operations of the NURTW at the entrance of their place of worship for too long.

‘My eyes are on the prize’, warns Bolt

Bolt

OSLO (AFP) – Usain Bolt on Tuesday fired out a broadside at potential rivals at August’s World Athletics Championships, saying that despite indifferent early season form his “eyes were on the prize”.
The Jamaican has six Olympic gold medals to his name, and is reigning double world 200m champion and also world record holder in both the 100m and 200m.

But he sustained a blip in his exemplary career when he suffered a surprise defeat to American 2004 Olympic champion Justin Gatlin over 100m at the Rome leg of the 14-meet Diamond League circuit last week.
Bolt was quick to laugh off critics, saying that although a hamstring teak had set him back somewhat, he was not concerned about going to the worlds having suffered a loss, only his fourth in competition since 2008.
“This season started off pretty good, but I picked up a slight hamstring problem which was a slight setback for me,” he said ahead of Oslo’s Bislett Games on Thursday.
“It’s all about training to determine if I can get back to where I need to be to try to get back breaking records.”
Bolt added: “It’s too early in the season to say what will be needed.
“Tyson (Gay)’s already there, Gatlin’s running good but got beat by (Christophe) Lemaitre, and (Yohan) Blake’s coming back from injury.
“We’ll see what happens in the coming weeks.”
Bolt, who dominated both the Beijing and London Olympics but lost his world 100m crown in Daegu in 2011 to compatriot Blake after a false start, said he was keen to notch up some more competitive racing after a prolonged period of training.
“I’ve trained very well. My legs felt great so I’m really happy,” he said. “All I need right now is some races under my belt before the national trials.”
The national Jamaican trials are where Bolt was infamously out-trumped in both the 100m and 200m by training partner Blake in 2012, just before the London Games.
That remains a fact important to remember, he stressed.
“At the end of 2008, I lost one race and won the Olympics that year. In 2010, which was my year off … Tyson beat me. Last year, Blake beat me at the national trials and I won the Olympics again, so it doesn’t say much.
“All I’m concerned about is the championships.
“For me it’s all about eyes on the prize, the 100m and 200m at the world championships at Moscow.
“I never try and think about one person. I’m definitely confident I can defend my titles.
“As I said, my eyes are on the prize.”

Gunmen kill man, steal 43 cows in Benue

Makurdi – One person was killed and 43 cows stolen when gunmen invaded a farm  belonging to Bishop Solomon Apochi of the Catholic Diocese of Otukpo .
The  incident took place on June 10, at Ichama in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Daniel Ezeala, who confirmed the invasion and killing of one person in the attack on Tuesday.
Ezeala also confirmed that the gunmen took 43 cows belonging to the bishop.
The Chairman of Okpokwu Local Government, Mrs Juliana Obeta, told newsmen that there was an unconfirmed report of a truck load of Fulani herdsmen brought to Ichama last week.
Obeta said that she promptly alerted police but there was no trace of the alleged invaders.
“Unfortunately, the herdsmen later attacked on Monday night killing one person and carted away 43 cows belonging to a bishop.
“As I’m talking to you now, many people mostly children and women, are fleeing the area while we are trying to calm them down.
“The corpse of the victim has been deposited at St. Mary Catholic Hospital in Okpoga,’’  Obeta said.
She further said that police authority had dispatched their men to the troubled area to beef up security.
The chairman called on the people of the area to remain calm as the council was on top of the situation.
The state Secretary of Myettiala Cattle Rearers Association, Malam Garus Gololo, said that the Fulanis had no problem with Ichama people.
Gololo denied that the crisis was orchestrated by the Fulanis, saying that it was unknown gunmen who invaded Ichama. (NAN)

Sex-for-fixing referees jailed in Singapore

SINGAPORE (AFP) – Three Lebanese football referees pleaded guilty Monday to accepting free sex from a gambling-linked global syndicate in return for agreeing to rig a match, with a Singapore judge jailing two and deferring sentencing for the third.
A district court judge jailed assistant referees Ali Eid, 33, and Abdallah Taleb, 37, for three months. He deferred sentencing till Tuesday for referee Ali Sabbagh, whom state prosecutors said was the most culpable.
The assistant referees broke down into sobs and repeatedly looked up as if to thank God when Judge Low Wee Ping said they could be freed by later Monday or Tuesday, after remission for good behaviour and due to time already served awaiting sentence.
Turning to Ali Sabbagh, 34, the judge said: “I need time to consider your sentence. I don’t, for the moment, accept that you should be sentenced to six months.”
Deputy public prosecutor Asoka Markandu described Ali Sabbagh as “the most culpable” among the three as he was the one approached by the syndicate and the one who persuaded the two linesmen to accept the sexual bribe.
The three men were arrested and charged on April 4 with corruption for accepting sexual favours in exchange for agreeing to fix an unspecified football match.
They had been abruptly pulled out of an Asian Football Confederation Cup match they were scheduled to officiate in Singapore on April 3 between Singapore-based club Tampines Rovers and India’s East Bengal.
The three were denied bail and have been detained at Singapore’s Changi prison since April 4.
Eric Ding Si Yang, 31, a Singaporean businessman who allegedly supplied the prostitutes, has also been charged with corruption and granted bail.
The judge lashed out at the FIFA-accredited referees for bringing disrepute to the sport, saying they were probably the first international football match officials to be charged with corruption in Singapore.
“That alone, the fact that you are international officials, in my view, is already an aggravating factor,” he said.
“The Singapore public has an interest in preserving football as a professional sport in Singapore. This is because it has social, recreational and economic value,” he added.
Defence lawyer Gary Low cited his clients’ previously unblemished records, their guilty plea and the fact that their acceptance of the sexual bribe did not result in any football match being rigged.
“The gratification was arranged by Mr Ding Si Yang with a view to fixing a football match in the future. Our clients did not reach an agreement with Ding to fix a particular football match,” Low said.
“In these circumstances, our clients’ conduct did not in any way affect or influence the outcome of any football match.”
State prosecutors have said Ali Sabbagh, a sports teacher with Lebanon’s education ministry earning $850 a month, was approached by Ding in “mid-2012″ in Beirut, indicating a “clear international dimension” to the offences.
Ding, described in Singaporean media as a nightclub owner who drives an Aston Martin sports car, is facing three counts of corruption charges but was freed after posting bail of Sg$150,000 ($121,000).
Singapore has a long history of match-fixing, and syndicates from the wealthy Southeast Asian island have been blamed by European police for orchestrating a network responsible for rigging hundreds of games worldwide.

Doctor mutilates baby’s corpse, removes eyes, tongue,private part

The hospital

LAGOS — The Ogun State Police Command, Sunday, said it has arrested one Dr. Babawale Joshua who owned Ajike Medical Centre at 11, Adeyemi Street, Saka, Sango Ota, for suspected ritual activities and disrespect to the corpse of a 13-month-old baby who died in his hospital, Saturday.
According the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, for the state, Mr Muyiwa Ogunjobi, the police discovered that the boy’s corpse was mutilated. He told Vanguard that  the eyes, tongue, two lips, two ears, private part, nails and the left hand and veins were cut off at the hospital.

Father’s account
In his account of what happened, the child’s father, identified as Obinna Oleh, a 35-year-old auto spare part dealer at Ladipo market, from Umunze village in AnambraState, said: “On Friday the 7th of June, my child took ill, my wife joined me to rush him to the hospital.
“The next day, being Saturday, I came to see them at the hospital in the morning before going to my shop while the child was actually getting better then.
“It was with this hope that I left for my shop thinking that at least before the end of the day, the child would have recovered fully.
“But in the afternoon, my wife called to inform me that the baby’s health had deteriorated, that I should rush home. When I got here, I met my child in a very critical condition.
“I asked if any medication had been administered on him and my wife told me that the doctor gave him an injection that afternoon and that the child’s stomach swelled after the injection.
“The baby was practically abandoned by the hospital management in this condition until around 8p.m when he finally died.
“As we attempted to carry the corpse, the nurse in charge said we had to clear our bills before we could take the body away. She also said she needed to call the Medical Director for the full amount we were to balance before they could release the corpse to us.
“Mind you, we were not owing them before the baby died. We made some  initial deposit prior to the baby’s admission and treatment. So when the nurse came up with the balance payment issue, I was not in the mood to argue that with them. I took my wife and we left, with the intention of returning yesterday morning to clear what ever bill there was, and take our child for burial.
“Also our pastor advised us to get a death certificate first before taking the corpse away for burial, so that we don’t encounter any problems with the police.
“We also needed to inform our kinsmen here about what happened. These were  the  reasons why we  left the body of our baby at the hospital till the following morning.
“But yesterday morning, I was having a meeting with my brothers on how to get a doctor’s report on my child’s death when the nurse called me to come over to the hospital, that it’s like they used a spiritual arrow to kill my child. I asked her what she meant by that. And at same time, followed her to the room where the body was.
“I was shocked to the bones to find my child’s body in a gory state. His ears were cut off, his private part, his tongue, his lips, and his eyes were plucked out. I am yet to recover from the shock of that sight.The police was informed and they came and took the body away.”
Meantime, when Vanguard visited the hospital, yesterday, it was under lock and key, having been shut by the police who confirmed the development.

Two women sacked for being pregnant

It sounds incredible, but it’s true. Two mothers, Sarah Poppy, 29, and
Nona Stanley, 36, who claim they were sacked while on maternity leave
are suing their former employers for unlawful discrimination and
sexual harassment.
They have file a law suit in the Federal Court in Adelaide alleging
their employer –  South  Service to Youth Council – discriminated
against them on the basis of their “sex, pregnancy and family
responsibilities”.
In court documents, Poppy says she worked with the council from June
2006 and was promoted to marketing manager on $60,000 a year before
she fell pregnant with son Hudson in 2009 and told work she would take
maternity leave.
In her claim, she alleges that after this request she was moved from
her office to a “common work area” and was told to no longer attend
management meetings.
She claims she was informed her position was redundant in June 2010
while on maternity leave.
She also alleges that her work duties were undertaken by another
employee during her maternity leave and after Ms Poppy was made
redundant.
Stanley, on her part, says she was employed from November 2009 in the
council’s property department and took maternity leave on September
19, 2011, after the birth of her daughter Olivia.
Five months later, while still on maternity leave, she was told “her
position was redundant” and there were no other positions available in
her department, she alleges.
The pair, whose case is being funded by the Federal Attorney-General’s
Department, also claim they were subjected to comments of a sexual
nature which “offended, humiliated and intimidated” them.
The women are seeking an apology and compensation for loss of income,
leave, chance of promotion, “hurt and humiliation” and legal costs.
In a statement, the SYC said it “strongly refutes the allegations”
brought against it “relating to alleged breaches of the Sex
Discrimination Act 1984 and the Fair Work Act 2009″ and will fight the
claims in court.
On its website the council describes itself as a “community
organisation centred on employment, training and youth services”.
Latest figures show the state Equal Opportunities Commission has
received more than 100 complaints this financial year from employees
about sexual harassment, caring responsibilities and pregnancy.

Patience Ozokwor storms SA for iroko TV launch

Patience

Nollywood superstar Patience Ozokwor alias Mama G comes to Johannesburg, South Africa, to launch iROKOtv’s new Nigerian movie DVD collection.
Nollywood’ is the second largest film industry in the world, producing around 2,000 movies a year. iROKOtv has selected ten movies to be distributed on DVD.
Mama G, who has starred in more than 500 movies including Old School, Airline Babes, Ukwa and One Dollar, will be in Johannesburg to officially launch iROKOtv’s new DVDs at the screening of her new movie, Airline Babes. Organisers say tickets are free for this unmissable chance to see the star.

Patience will also be touring Johannesburg to sign the new iROKOtv DVDs which will be making their debut across market places and local shops throughout Johannesburg. There will be a meet & greet event at Bara Mall in Soweto from 14-16 June where fans can have their photos taken with and get an autographed DVD from Mama G.
Some of the DVDs she will be promoting include: Mrs Somebody, Kiss & Tell, Single & Married, Airline Babes, Damage and Aki & Popo Sisters