Rick Ross set to tour Lagos, Nigeria

Come Friday, August 17,2012, American born international rapper, William Leonard Roberts II popularly known as Rick Ross, will storm the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria, Lagos for the Summer Jam Fest 2012 concert at the exquisite Eko Hotel and Suites.

The Florida native who made headlines with his debut album in 2006 titled "Port of Miami" will headline the music concert alongside other Nigerian acts. The music concert is powered by St. Eve Concepts Limited, the owner of popular magazine, St. Eve.

Summer Jam Fest 2012 is geared to set the tone for an annual concert to promote health and proper lifestyle, and this year, some of the hottest Nigerian artists of the year will be performing alongside the aforementioned big acts. St Eve Concepts aims to promote healthy living through music and entertainment.

St. Eve Concepts is an internal Wellness and Enzymatic Weight Management Company which was founded in 2006 and remains the first and only Enzymatic Health care service provider in West Africa. In 2010, St. Eve Concepts launched a quarterly magazine about health, beauty, fashion and lifestyle called St. Eve Magazine.

It would be recalled that Rick Ross released his fifth studio album "God Forgives, I Don't" earlier this year and also collaborated with hit Nigerian duet P-Square on the remix of the well-known song "Beautiful Oyinye, a song that has dominated the airwaves since it debuted.

Vanguard

Video - Gold mining killing scores of children in Nigeria

Hundreds of children in northern Nigeria's Zamfara state have died because of gold mining.

More than 400 have perished in the past two years, and thousands of young children are at risk of disability as they are being poisoned by lead, which is used in the mining process.

And non-compliance of safe mining options and lack of simple low-tech machinery has not helped the cause.

International medical humanitarian group, Doctors Without Borders, believes it is "the worst outbreak in modern history".

Al Jazeera

Tanker explosion in Rivers state, Nigeria - 30 dead

At least thirty people have lost their lives while five others were rescued as more tankers exploded today at Abuloma waterside and Rumuokehi around Eneka area of Rivers state.

The thirty people who were burnt to death and the five rescued alive were trapped in the vessel that caught fire at the Abuloma water front.

Our correspondent in Rivers says NEMA advance teams are moving to the Abuloma scene while fire fighters are battling that of Rumuokehi already.

Officials of NEMA's information department are asking for help from the fire service and multi-national companies around Abuloma for urgent assistance to battle that fire.

At Rumuokehi, a total of three tankers were seen still in flames while one had been successfully put out by men of the fire service.

A source told Daily Trust that the tankers were set ablaze by men of the JTF because they were being used by bunkerers.

Efforts are still being made to contact the JTF spokesman to get confirmation about their involvement.

However, FRSC's sector commander in Rivers state Kayode Olagunja said this about the Abuloma fire; " An oil vessel, around 9:45am, caught fire and exploded at the Abuloma water front, Trans Amadi in Port Harcourt.

"Fire is still restricted to the water area. FRSC, NEMA, Police and other rescue agencies are on ground. Casualty figures are yet unknown."

Daily Trust

Related story: Video report - 95 dead in oil tanker explosion

Nigerian government signs $1.49 billion construction deal with China

The Federal Government yesterday disclosed that it had signed a $1.49 billion contract with China for the construction of the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Rail Double Track.

The rail line with Double Formation under Addendum No. 2 (2nd segment) is for the modernisation of the Lagos-Kano railway project.

It also approved other contracts covering the transport, power and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Briefing journalists in company of his colleagues after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Bala Mohammed, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, Transport, Idris Umar, Power, Bart Nnaji, and Urban and Housing Development, Ama Pepple, the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, said council approved contracts including the implementation of Addendum No. 2 (2nd segment: Lagos-Ibadan to the main contract for the railway modernisation project (Phase 1; Lagos-Kano).

Messrs China Civil Engineering Construction Company Nig Ltd which clinched the job, is expected to complete the project in 36 months.

The variation of the scope of work for the contract for design and construction of Abuja Rail Mass Transit Project (Lots 1&3) from the initial work span of 60.67km to 45.245km (Lots 1A &3) upped the amount payable from $841,645,898.00 to $823,540,545.87 payable at the prevailing exchange rate inclusive of 5 per cent VAT and 5 per cent variation on prices.

"The contract is in favour of Messrs China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation (CCECC), with a completion period of 36 months", Maku said.

On power: Council, in line with accepted best practices in the operation and maintenance of hydropower plants, approved the supply and installation of parts for the 2 x 140MW units 411G3 Generators at Shiroro Hydroelectric Plc, in favour of Messrs AsNDRITZ Hydro GmbH, in the sum of €2,075,754.00.

This is in addition to the N13,326340.68 to be retained by Shiroro Hydroelectric Plc to cover one per cent CISS fees and two per cent Port and Handling charges, with a completion period of eight months.

Council also approved the restoration of four Plant units and balance of plant at Omotosho Power Plc in favour of China Machinery and Engineering Corporation in the sum of USD 10,092,771.15 payable at the prevailing exchange rate at the time of payment, plus N78,753,893.30 for 5 per cent VAT with a completion period of 6 months.

On investment, Aganga said Nigeria has improved in the FDI attraction index to 23rd position making it a first quarter country for FDI attractiveness.

Nigeria is ranked first in the top five host economies for FDI in Africa at $8.91 billion in 2011 in comparision to $6.09billion in 2010, followed by South Africa with $5.9 billion in 2011 and Ghana with $3.2 billion.

Nigeria accounted for over one-sixth of flows into Africa as a whole. Only Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana attracted FDI inflows above $3 billion in 2011.

Meanwhile, Nigeria makes the final list of Common Wealth Association of Public Admnistration and Management (CAPAM). It is the first time Nigeria is partiparting in the international innovations award.

The Ministry of Health made a summation on their midwives services scheme. The scheme is meant to address one of the goals of the MDGs that has to do with the reduction of maternal and infant mortality.

It is a federal government programme by the ministry of health that employs qualified midwives, some of them retired and newly qualified ones.

"So far they have employed 4000 midwives and they are meant to work only in the primary health care centers. They are deployed to states and federal government pays their salaries while the states provide accommodation and transportation to enable them do their work. So far the 4000 midwives have been sent to 1000 primary healthcare centers across the country. Ministry of health submitted this scheme for the innovation award, there were 111 submissions from nine countries, we made it to the semi final of 40 submissions and now the scheme is among the twelve finalists who will make a presentation at his yeas biannual in India.

"The Minister of Health has assured that they will work hard to ensure that they win the award. It is the first time we tried and we are among the finalists", says Pepple who has been representing Nigeria on the board of CAPAM since her days as the Head of Service of the Federation.

This Day

Nigeria is the largest market for fake drugs in the third world

The Director-General of the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhii, yesterday said that Nigeria has the largest market for counterfeit drugs in developing countries.

Orhii, who disclosed this in Abuja at the sensitization lecture for FCT corps members at the Kubwa NYSC Orientation Camp, said the country also has the highest purchasing power of such drugs.

He said to encourage local production of drugs, the agency has proposed to the Presidency N200 billion pharmaceutical intervention funds to assist local pharmaceutical companies.

He said the country being an oil producing nation and the most populated country in Africa Nigeria is prone to the usage of counterfeit drugs.

Earlier, FCT NYSC co-ordinator, Mr. Frank Ekpunobi, assured that the corps members especially those in NAFDAC community development group would take the campaign to various households in their primary places of assignment.

Daily Trust