Thursday, August 24, 2017

Africa's richest man Alike Dangote to build university in Abuja, Nigeria

The President and founder of Dangote Foundation, Aliko Dangote, has set aside N200 billion to establish a world-class university in Abuja.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the proposal has since been delivered to the National Universities Commission, NUC.

A former Executive Secretary of the NUC, Julius Okojie, who is the chairman of the technical team for the establishment of the university, said the foundation intends to drive technology and research in stimulating economic growth.

Mr Okojie, who led his team to the current Executive Secretary of the commission, Abubakar Rasheed, said the proposed university is meant to be technology-driven and asked for the cooperation and support of the NUC towards the realisation of the goal.

According to a National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN, publication, the team, accompanied by the Chief Executive Officer, CEO of the foundation, Zouera Yousouffou, disclosed that Mr. Dangote’s desire was to float a unique university of technology with all the necessary infrastructure and best faculty members from across the globe.

Mr. Rasheed, who applauded the bold step, promised to offer all the needed assistance for the success of the project.

He, however, advised the team to reconsider its plan of establishing a university of technology to ‘a conventional university running all programmes but with specialty in the area of technology.’

The executive secretary, who underscored the advantages of the conventional university over the special one, said with the countless impacts on society by the business mogul, the project would be a success.

He asked the team to consult widely and look at the universities in Nigeria and abroad with a view to creating a unique university that would be different in terms of quality in all its operations.

In her remarks, Mrs. Yousouffou said the foundation was ready to make the dream a reality with the sum of N200 billion already earmarked for the project.

She said the land was purchased and preliminary measures were in place for the headquarters of the university at the nation’s capital city of Abuja.

Mr. Dangote is a Nigerian mega-entrepreneur cum billionaire, who owns the Dangote Group, which has interests in diverse commodities.

The company with massive business tentacles operates principally in Nigeria but has corporate interests in other African countries.

Former Nigerian minister kidnapped

The police command in Nasarawa State has confirmed the abduction of a former Minister of Labour and Productivity, Hussaini Akwanga.

Mr. Akwanga served during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo but was removed on December 4, 2003, following an alleged $214 million national identity card scam.

The spokesman for the Nasarawa State Police Command, Kennedy Idirisu, who confirmed the abduction in Lafia on Wednesday, said Mr. Akwanga was kidnapped by gunmen at his farm on Wamba Road on Tuesday.

Akwanga town is about 46km north of Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa State.

Mr. Idirisu said that on receiving information on the abduction, the state’s Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Sadiq-Bello, mobilised policemen, led by the deputy commissioner in charge of operations, to search for the abducted former minister.

“As we speak, the commissioner himself has gone to Akwanga to boost the rescue operation to ensure that the victim is released unhurt,” he said.

Mr. Idirisu reiterated the commitment of the command to ridding the state of kidnappers and other criminal elements.

Meanwhile, a family source told NAN that the kidnappers had contacted them, demanding an unspecified amount as ransom.

On May 6, the mother and sister of a member of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Kassim Mohammed, were similarly abducted in Akwanga.

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Video - IMF urging Nigeria's gov't to do more to address job scarcity



The International Monetary Fund says not enough is being done to provide people of working age in Nigeria with jobs. The country's informal working sector is making a significant contribution to the GDP and the IMF says it's becoming a big problem for the country's tax revenues.

Video - Huge rise in children used as human bombs by Boko Haram in Nigeria


There has been a significant increase in the number of children used as human bombs by Boko Haram militants in north-east Nigeria, the United Nations says.

Unicef reports there have been 83 cases so far this year - four times as many as in the whole of last year.

55 were girls under the age of 15 and in one case the bomb was strapped to a baby being carried by a young girl.

Unicef says this tactic is an atrocity causing fear and suspicion of children released by the militants.

According to the UN children's agency, 127 children have been used as bombers in north-east Nigeria since 2014.

The Islamist militants Boko Haram have regularly used children in its insurgency, abducting hundreds of schoolgirls, and forcibly recruiting boys as child soldiers.

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Video - Tattoos become increasingly popular among young people in Nigeria



Tattoos are becoming more and more popular among young people in Nigeria. Inspired by global celebrities, the culture has given rise to the emergence of a new business – tattoo parlours.