Security was on Tuesday morning beefed up around the Presidential Villa, Abuja, ahead of a planned protest rally by the BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) campaigners.
The BBOG campaigners are pushing for the rescue of the schoolgirls abducted from the Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno, on April 15.
In a statement by its Media Coordinator, Rotimi Olawale, on Monday in Abuja, the group threatened to march to the Villa on Tuesday “to engage with President Goodluck Jonathan’’.
It said the purpose of the engagement was “to convey the urgency of the girls’ rescue and to hear directly from the president on the status of the rescue efforts by security agencies’’.
The march is scheduled to begin at the Unity Fountain, located close to Transcorp Hilton Hotels, Maitama, and proceed to the State House through the Federal Secretariat. But as at 8.20 a.m. there has been heavy presence of armed security men at the two major gates leading to the Villa, apparently to forestall possible breakdown of order.
At the gate approaching from the Fire Service side of Asokoro, armed policemen and soldiers had been stationed at the traffic light junction before the usual security checkpoint. The same situation played out at the Federal Secretariat end of the entrance.
Armed policemen and soldiers from the Brigades of Guards were stationed at a spot between the Villa Gate and the access road that leads to the National Assembly. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that this is the second attempt by the group to take their protest to the Villa since the girls’ abduction.
In May, the group marched to the Villa where some top government officials, including the Minister of State for FCT, Mrs Olajumoke Akinjide, addressed them on behalf of the president.
Akinjide told them to direct their protest to terrorists and not the government, and urged them to learn from citizens of other countries who do not blame their governments for any terrorist act. (NAN)
Vanguard
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Monday, October 13, 2014
Nigeria dropped from Ebola screening list in U.S. and Canada
Following Nigeria’s timely containment of the Ebola virus disease (EVD), which is awaiting the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) certification as an Ebola-free nation, the United States of America and Canada have dropped Nigeria from countries whose nationals will be carefully screened at their major airports while entering the country.
The exclusion of Nigeria from the list has been viewed by industry watchers as another affirmation of the country’s ability to effectively contain the deadly disease from escalating to a national outbreak as it has in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The US over the weekend commenced a detailed check out screening procedure for travellers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea at New York’s John F. Kennedy (JKF) airport and should extend the screening to New Jersey’s Newark, Washington’s Dulles, Chicago’s O’Hare and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airports, later this week.
The new checkout screening procedures for passengers from the Ebola-stricken nations which entails checking of passenger’s temperature and querying of passenger’s recent whereabouts, however, contradicts the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) advice that passenger screening is best done when departing a country, rather than when arriving.
Though there are currently few direct flights from Ebola-affected countries to the U.S, as many West African passengers arrive the U.S on connecting flights from other parts of the world, analysts predict that the new task might be challenging but certainly worth the stress.
Responding to Nigeria’s exclusion from the checklist, Olumide Ohunayo, an immigration expert, said: “It’s a refreshing news and absolute trust in measures that have been put in place by the federal and state governments in combating the EVD.”
The latest move by the US is expected to thoroughly scrutinise 150 travellers per day from the three most affected countries, with the five airports estimated to receive about 94 percent of West African travellers, JFK alone accounting for around 43 percent and Washington Dulles about 22 percent.
Business Day
The exclusion of Nigeria from the list has been viewed by industry watchers as another affirmation of the country’s ability to effectively contain the deadly disease from escalating to a national outbreak as it has in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The US over the weekend commenced a detailed check out screening procedure for travellers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea at New York’s John F. Kennedy (JKF) airport and should extend the screening to New Jersey’s Newark, Washington’s Dulles, Chicago’s O’Hare and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airports, later this week.
The new checkout screening procedures for passengers from the Ebola-stricken nations which entails checking of passenger’s temperature and querying of passenger’s recent whereabouts, however, contradicts the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) advice that passenger screening is best done when departing a country, rather than when arriving.
Though there are currently few direct flights from Ebola-affected countries to the U.S, as many West African passengers arrive the U.S on connecting flights from other parts of the world, analysts predict that the new task might be challenging but certainly worth the stress.
Responding to Nigeria’s exclusion from the checklist, Olumide Ohunayo, an immigration expert, said: “It’s a refreshing news and absolute trust in measures that have been put in place by the federal and state governments in combating the EVD.”
The latest move by the US is expected to thoroughly scrutinise 150 travellers per day from the three most affected countries, with the five airports estimated to receive about 94 percent of West African travellers, JFK alone accounting for around 43 percent and Washington Dulles about 22 percent.
Business Day
NIgeria Super Eagles being sabatoged - Keshi
Read: Ex-SAFA vice-president to fight back
The Super Eagles look set to miss out on the chance to defend the title they won in 2013 after Sudan handed them a 1-0 defeat as they sit rock bottom of Group A after managing just one point from their opening three qualifiers.
And Keshi, who has come under intense criticism since Nigeria's failed 2014 World Cup campaign, says there are internal factors at work which have led to the side's downfall.
“There is a sabotage by some people, who I won’t mention their names but who know themselves. They want to run this team down," Keshi told African Football.
“Some people are ready to sell this country for a dime. They want to sabotage the Super Eagles.”
“It’s a shame. They don’t want this team to get to the AFCON, they want this team to lose outright. But they are not God."
“And this is not Keshi’s team. This is a national team. Keshi is a professional coach and after this (assignment), he will get another job elsewhere.”
Standings: (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points)
South Africa 3 2 1 0 5 0 7
Congo 3 2 0 1 5 4 6
Sudan 3 1 0 2 1 5 3
Nigeria 3 0 1 2 2 4 1
Group A Fixtures: October 15, Wednesday
Nigeria v Sudan, 18:00 (SA time)
South Africa v Congo, 20:00
Sports 24
Friday, October 10, 2014
Video - More women taking the lead in Nigeria's oil sector
The 2010 Content Development Act has improved Nigeria’s oil and gas landscape increasing the participation of locals and has empowered Nigerian women to take up more senior positions in the sector.
Okonjo-Iweala is Africa's finance minister of the year
The award was presented to her by the African Investor Magazine on the sideline of the ongoing annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington DC.
She thanked the organisers for the award and described it as an absolute honour and auspicious.
She called on all investors in Africa to join the fight against the deadly Ebola virus disease that is ravaging some countries in West Africa.
“What is happening in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra-Leone and the success we had in Nigeria and Senegal in containing this virus should not be allowed to set Africa back.
“You as private sector and friends of Africa need to send the message that we should not be so afraid of Ebola that we stigmatise the whole continent.
“I think that it is only with your own leadership, as African investors, that the rest of the world can see which way they should pass. So, I am really urging you to be ambassadors to the continent,” she said. Okonjo-Iweala said that in spite of the challenges facing the continent, African leaders should sustain the successes recorded in the past.
These challenges, she said, include infrastructure, governance, poor education system, employment, corruption, among others. “We are not shying away from these challenges but the turning point now is that we are in the continent where we have the political will and confidence to tackle these challenges.
“I think that we as Africans must always take the lead because if we don’t solve our problems, nobody can do it for us.”
Okonjo-Iweala called for continuous partnership with the private sector, donor agencies and non-governmental organisations.
Vanguard
Related stories: Video - Finance minister Okonjo-Iweala talks about alleged missing $20 million dollars
Video - Nigerian Finance Minister discusses situation on kidnapped schoolgirls
Okonjo-Iweala departs World Bank, resumes as Finance Minister next week
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