India plans $1.5 trillion investment in Africa

 Strong indications emerged yesterday that the government of India plans to invest a whooping sum of $1.5 trillion on infrastructural development in Nigeria and other parts of Africa in the next 10 years.

India's Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Anand Sharma, who made the revelation at an exhibition and India-West Africa Business Forum in Lagos, pointed out that bilateral trade between Nigeria and India has for several years been in excess of $10 billion in favour of Nigeria.

He remarked that five out of the 12 fastest growing economies in the world are domiciled in Africa; a continent which he said is richly endowed with natural resources.

Commending the conveners of the forum, the President of ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambers, noted that the event could not have come at a better time, when most nations are emerging from economic failures arising from the global economic recession.

According to him, the 15 countries in the West African sub-region with a combined population of well over 280million people, Africa remains a major economy that must be taken seriously, noting that the continent is blessed with skilled manpower, favourable climate that can be harnessed as an alternative to power and good forest reserves suitable for the pharmaceutical industry.

Also speaking, Nigeria's Minster of Commerce and Industry, Chief Achike Udenwa, noted that India has a lot of success stories that West Africa can learn from, adding that the opportunity the forum avails would go a long way to assist the region in its collective efforts to enhance production capacity and diversity the economic base through the injection of new ideas and technologies, as well as best global practices.

In his opening remark, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, challenged the forum to come up with proposals that would be of mutual benefit between Nigeria and the government of India.

Jonathan, who was represented by Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, said India holds the ace in the area of education and medical science and recalled the role Indians played in the education of many Nigerians.

 Leadership

Related stories:China invests $6 billion in Nigeria

Video - investing in Nigeria

Video report on growing middle class in Nigeria

Gunmen kidnap director in Abuja

Twelve days after his kidnap by unidentified gunmen in Abuja, an assistant director with the National Planning Commission Chief Oluwole Adelana is still missing and his abductors have not yet contacted his family.

Adelana was grabbed at the Garki Area 1 of Abuja at about 10pm on January 3, while he was on his way back from his hometown Idoani in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State, a family source told Daily Trust yesterday.

Investigations by the FCT police special anti-robbery squad led to the finding along Damaturu-Maiduguri road of the burnt remains of the Toyota Camry car in which Adelana was kidnapped, the source said.

Daily Trust learnt that at least two persons were being questioned at the anti-robbery squad office in connection with the kidnap.

Sources said a friend of Adelana's witnessed the incident and immediately contacted another friend of theirs, who later informed the victim's family about the kidnap. The family in turn reported to the police same night.

The abduction of Adelana was confirmed yesterday by his cousin, Mr Duro Aderobagun, who said that the family was worried especially because no one has yet contacted them for ransom or with information on the missing assistant director.

FCT police public relations officer Jimoh Moshood said he had not been briefed on the matter.

When asked who the family reported the case to, the victim's cousin Aderobagun said the incident was reported to the special anti-robbery squad, and the National Planning Minister had also written to Inspector General of Police Ogbonna Onovo on the kidnap.

But deputy public relations officer at the police force headquarters in Abuja, Mr. Yemi Ajayi, said he was not briefed on whether the IG received a letter from the minister.

A police official, who would not want to be named because he was not in a position to speak to the press, told Daily Trust that the matter was duly reported and was being investigated.

Adelana had served at various times in the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Millennium Development Goals in Abuja.

Daily Trust

Related stories: Kidnapping culture on the rise in Nigeria

Pete Edochie shares his experience of being kidnapped

American doctor kidnapped in Nigeria sympathizes with his abductors

70 percent of candidates fail WAEC exams

Over 70 per cent of the candidates who sat for the 2009 November/December West African Examinations Council (WAEC) examinations failed both English and Mathematics, WAEC announced in Lagos yesterday.

For about five years now candidates have been recording mass failure in WAEC's May/June and November/December diets. Just in the last May/June diet over one million candidates failed the examinations. Announcing the results of the 2009 November/December examinations in Lagos yesterday, the Head of National Office of WAEC Dr. Iyi Uwadiae said out of the 342,443 candidates who sat for the examinations, only 106,413, representing 31 per cent, obtained credits in English Language, Mathematics and at least three other subjects.

According to Dr. Uwadiae, over 70 per cent of the candidates only managed to pass between two and six subjects at credit level but without both English and Mathematics or without either of the two subjects. He said the results of 57,792 candidates, representing 16.87 per cent, were still being withheld based on various reports of their alleged involvement in examination malpractice.

The WAEC head said all reports on cases of involvement in examination malpractice were being compiled for presentation to the Nigeria Examinations Committee of WAEC which is going to act on it in February.

"Out of the total number of candidates who sat the examination, however, 106, 413 candidates, representing (31.0%) obtained credits in both English and Mathematics and at least three other subjects.

"Similarly, statistics show that 265,335 candidates representing 77.48 % have two credits and above; 230, 351 candidates (67.2%) have three credits and above; and 192, 806 candidates (56.30%) have four credits and above. The results of 57,792 candidates, representing 16.87 % are being withheld based on various reports of their alleged involvement in examination malpractice", he said.

He reiterated the council's policy of zero tolerance for examination malpractice, saying WAEC would continue to withhold results of those found guilty of malpractice in any of its exams. He blamed the poor performance of students in public examinations on parents, saying they had continuously failed to monitor their children's performances at school.

Daily Trust

Kidnapped doctor's wife rescued after a shoot out

The wife of the medical doctor attached to Oleh General Hospital, Mrs.Efe Aluta has been rescued after a fierce gun battle between the kidnappers and Joint Task Force (JTF).

Vanguard gathered that she was rescued by the soldiers attached to the JTF on Wednesday night at Kiagbodo.

It was not however ascertained if the N20m demanded by the kidnappers were paid or not.

State police command spokesman, Mr. Charles Muka when contacted confirmed the story but declined to give details.

Meanwhile the State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan had disclosed that kidnappers now recruit drivers, stewards, cooks and family members into the exercise.

Speaking while receiving reports from the committee set-up to look into the handover of schools in the state to their former owners on Wednesday, Uduaghan said some of those who allegedly kidnapped (doctor's wife) Barrister Mariam Aluta, the daughter-in-law of the Chairman of the State Post Primary Education Board have been arrested.

"I want to assure you that kidnapping is being checked in the state. We have mapped out strong strategy to check the incident and it is reducing."

He said security operatives were still on the trail of the remaining suspects and promised to ensure that they were apprehended in no distant future.

The governor who said victims would always be discouraged from paying ransom said even when ransom has been paid security operatives will still trail and arrest the criminals.

Dr. Uduaghan said his administration has adopted strong strategy that will check kidnap incident in the state and changed Deltans to be vigilant.

He explained that it was as a result of the stringent measures put in place by the police and other security operatives that reduced the rate of kidnapping in the state.

Vanguard

Related stories: Kidnapping culture on the rise in Nigeria

American doctor kidnapped in Nigeria sympathizes with his abductors

Gunmen seize Britons in Nigeria oil city Port Harcourt

Prince Malik Ado Ibrahim talks to CNN about U.S. blacklist

Prince Malik Ado Ibrahim, co-founder of The Bridge, which introduces renewable energy sources to third world countries, talks to CNN about Nigeria being on the U.S. blacklist.

Related stories: Nigeria to put Air Marshals on U.S. bound flights

U.S. blacklists Nigeria

Family of Nigerian bomb suspect issues statement

CNN shows Nigerian children learning a life of poverty and violence