ASUU, FG fight dirty •Lecturers dare govt to sack them •Govt considers deployment of troops

THE Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU on Friday hardened their positions on the five-month-old strike with both sides talking tough.

While the Federal Government insisted that universities must immediately reopen to students, ASUU demanded an immediate apology from the Federal Government for an alleged lie against lecturers.

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BBC African Footballer of the Year shortlist revealed

The five candidates for the 2013 BBC African Footballer of the Year award have been revealed on the BBC's Newsday programme.

Ivory Coast's Yaya Toure has made the shortlist for the fifth consecutive year and is joined by Nigerians Victor Moses and John Mikel Obi, Burkina Faso's Jonathan Pitroipa and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Gabon.

The winner will be decided by African football fans, who have until 18:00 GMT on 25 November to vote for their choice.

You can either vote via this page or by sending an SMS from your phone to +44 7786 20 20 08:

• Text 1 for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
• Text 2 for Victor Moses
• Text 3 for John Mikel Obi
• Text 4 for Jonathan Pitroipa
• Or Text 5 for Yaya Toure

Standard international text rates apply, please check with your service provider. Texts are limited to one text per mobile phone number.
The winner will be announced on Monday, 2 December at 17:35 GMT on the BBC's Focus on Africa radio and television programmes.
No player on this year's shortlist, drawn up from votes by 44 journalists across Africa, has won the BBC award before and two - Pitroipa and Aubameyang - are the first nominees from their respective countries.
Aubameyang, 24, has been in prolific form over the past year - ending the 2012-13 season with 19 goals for St-Etienne, which put him second in the list of top scorers in the French Ligue 1, while he also helped them win the French Cup to claim his first trophy as a professional.
Those performances earned him a summer transfer to Champions League runners-up Borussia Dortmund, and he has already scored seven goals in 11 games for the German side.
Pitroipa's biggest highlights came on the international stage as the 27-year-old winger was named player of the tournament at the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, helping Burkina Faso surprise everyone by reaching the final.

Microsoft, partners create opportunities for youth

Microsoft, the global technology firm, has partnered with local youth platform, The Future Project, to launch an online employability and mentorship programme that enhances youth’s prospects of securing jobs.

Called the Aiki Nigeria, the programme features a web based job and training resource centre that aims to provide a guide in the areas of career planning, skill acquisition, entrepreneurship development, job sourcing and small business sustainability.

The online programme is expected to go live mid December.

At the unveiling of the programme in Lagos, Microsoft officials said Aiki Nigeria would help create jobs for a new generation of Nigerians and enabling them to contribute to the national economy.

“In working with organizations, technology enthusiasts and governments at every level, we have emphasised the crucial importance of jobs for a new generation of Nigerians. This programme is a major step in leading a coordinated solution to this urgent problem,” said Ugochukwu Nwosu, Microsoft Citizenship Manager for Anglophone West Africa.

Patrick Onwumere, Director of Youth Enablement at Microsoft Africa, noted that the launch of the platform coincided with Microsoft marking 20 years of operations in the continent.
He noted that Aiki Nigeria was part of its African Initiative.

Similar projects are ongoing in Egypt, Ivory Coast and Tunisia.

Chude Jideonwo, Executive Director of The Future Project, said the firm had always invested in enterprise and expanding opportunities for young people.

“Through our enterprise support scheme platform, we have over five years created a platform for young people to build a community of opportunities, to connect with capacity and build a shared future of value. We are glad to be partnering with Microsoft to scale up this engagement and to reach a deeper pool of the un-served across the country,” he said.

Encomiums As Oba Akiolu Clocks 70

As  Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, clocked 70 today, there has been an outpouring of congratulatory messages and commendations from citizens of the country as well as political leaders.
President Goodluck Jonathan, who sent a statement congratulating the royal father last night, said that Akiolu had exhibited exemplary wisdom, courage, selflessness, philanthropy and dedication to the service of his people “since his ascension to the revered throne of Lagos more than 10 years ago.”
In the statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the President extolled the Oba’s exemplary dedication to service.
“President Jonathan joins the people of Lagos and Oba Akiolu’s friends, associates and peers across the country in felicitating with the monarch,” the statement said, assuring Oba Akiolu that the Federal Government would continue to work diligently, in cooperation with all other tiers of government, towards progressively improving the living conditions of people in his domain and all other parts of Nigeria.
“President Jonathan prays that God Almighty will grant Oba Akiolu continued good health and many more years of commendable service to the people of Lagos and Nigeria. He wishes Oba Akiolu a very happy birthday,” the statement said.
In his message to congratulate the Oba, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic party, PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, thanked “God for for His mercies towards you on the occsion of your 70 th birthday.
“This is a significant age; and, we therefore pray that He will continue to guard, guide and imbue you with great understanding and wisdom in the task of facilitating development of your people and peace in Nigeria.
“Indeed, we also sincerely commend your patriotic role in helping to stabilize our nation; and wish you good health, long life and prosperity in the service of the nation, humanity and God.”
The K.O . Tinubu family simply said: “we celebrate with you on this joyous day of happiness and fulfillment. We pray that your years be long and your wisdom ever increasing.”
Alhaji Buari Abu Oloto, said he was joining millions of the Oba’s admirers across the globe in rolling out the drums to celebrate him. He wished the traditional ruler God’s guidance, wisdom and many more years of purposeful and fruitful leadersip.
The paramount ruler of Ijora and Iganmu Kingdom, Oba Abdulfatai Oyeyinka Aremu Aromire, and the Lagos State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, also congratulated Oba Akiolu on his birthday, wishing him many more years on the throne.
A Commissioner in Lagos State, Ademorin Kuye, and the Osolo of Isolo, Oba Kabiru Kolawole Agbabiaka, described Oba Akiolu as a true leader that has excelled in the area of promoting unity and peace among the people.
“As a respected symbol of tradition and culture, you are a perfect example of humility, justice and equity,” they said.
Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, said of the Oba: “you stand tall today and always for your selfless, immeasurable contributions to the cause of humanity, and the huge impact that you have made in the lives of those who have been fortunate to cross your path.”
He prayed for long life, good health and prosperity for the Oba.

Fayemi flags off building of 5,000 houses in Ekiti

The Government of the western Nigerian state of Ekiti says it will build 5,000 low cost housing units before the end of 2014.
Governor Kayode Fayemi said this at the commencement of “the Eyi Yato Housing Estate’’ as part of activities marking his third year in office in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday.
Fayemi said the decision to build the housing units was meant to reduce the challenges facing the people in either acquisition or rental of property in the state.
The governor said that housing finance was the greatest challenge of the housing sector in the country.
He said he would facilitate mortgage loans to workers to purchase the houses through the National Housing Fund (NHF).
Fayemi said that government would synergise with a private developer – JD Ford Nigeria Ltd., to bring the dream to reality.
The governor said 1,000 units of houses at Eyi Yato Housing Estates would be supervised by the developer and the Ekiti State Fountain Holdings.
The governor said that this covered a large expanse of land measuring about 34.9 hectares.
He said that other developers were being wooed by the state government to build the proposed Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and Federal Road Safety Commission’s (FRSC) estates located on Iyin and Ijan roads.
Fayemi pledged that the government would provide CCTV Camera, police posts, roads and would ensure uninterrupted power and water supply in all the estates.
The Commissioner for Housing, Mr Remi Olorunleke, said the project would stimulate home economy, saying that many of the workers and contractors working at the site were indigenes of the state.
The Managing Directors of JD Ford Nigeria Ltd., Mr John Okonkwo, and his counterpart in Ekiti Fountain Holding, Mr Muyiwa Ogunmilade, said that about 120 housing units were under construction in the estates.
He said that 300 of the houses would be built before the end of 2013.

UK Rapper, Chip Arrives Nigeria For “Fire of Zamani” Concert

Sony Music United Kingdom rapper, Chip, formerly known as Chipmunk, arrived Lagos for the first time this morning ahead of Ice Prince’s “Fire Of Zamani” concert.
The Champion hit maker who featured on the Ice Prince’s track “Mercy” will be performing for at least 15 minutes at the concert which will take place at Eko Hotel & Suites , 23 November2013.
“Fans should get ready for an over dose of excitement,” said Chip on arrival.
 

The British rapper will be performing at the concert alongside American-Nigerian star rapper Wale.
Other artistes expected to perform at the concert include Modenine, M.I, Olamide, Phyno, Burna Boy, Yung El, Jeremiah Gyang and Ice Prince, the host.
The grand concert will mark the official launch of Ice Prince’s Fire Of Zamani album, his sophomore which was released on 28 October.

CAAN Awards: Sean Kingston, Mafikizolo, 2FACE lighten up the event in Bayelsa

Bayelsa State for the maiden edition of the Caribbean American and African Nations Music Awards.
The event, being packaged by the Silverbird Group in partnership with the Bayelsa State Tourism Development Agency will have in attendance top international and local artistes, showbiz heavyweights, captains of industry and foreign dignitaries.
The awards ceremony will witness top performances by Jamaican-American rapper Sean Kingston, South Africa’s Mafikizolo and Ghana’s Batman Samini among other international acts.
They will be rocking the stage alongside top Nigerian artistes led by Juju music legend, King Sunny Ade, opinionvoices.blogspot.com Tuface Idibia, Banky W, Timi Dakolo, Wizkid, Kaycee, Sean Tizzle and Daddy Showkey.
“We are involved in this project because music generally provides a veritable platform for the achievement of our set objectives,” Mrs Ebizi Ndiomu Brown, Director General, Bayelsa State Tourism Development Agency told opinionvoices in Lagos recently.


CAAN Music Awards embraces and promotes the music industry in Africa and the black disapora. Our focus remains the aspirational, upcoming and established musicians and stakeholders under  the CAAN umbrella,” said Guy Murray Bruce, Silverbird Group boss.

Gas plan to yield $25bn investments

George Osahon, Director, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), on Thursday said that the Federal Government's Gas Master Plan would yield about 25 billion dollars worth of investments.

Osahon said this at a seminar organised by the Nigerian-South African Chamber of Commerce in Lagos.

Speaking on the theme: "FGN Gas Master Plan: Opportunities for Potential Investor,"  he said that those investments would transform the economy.

Oshaon said that the plan was aimed at strengthening the gas market towards meeting government’s aspirations for achieving the goals of Vision 202020.

"The Nigerian Gas Master Plan (GMP) is a government initiative to grow the nation’s economy by providing the required infrastructure that will enable Nigeria consolidate on the multiplier effect of gas on the economy.

"The policy is designed to assure gas availability for the growing gas demands driven by rising gas prices, power sector reforms and investor confidence in Nigeria ", he said.

According to him, the progress being recorded in the gas sector through the implementation of the Gas Master Plan had opened up vast opportunities for investors various areas.

"Opportunities for investment are available in pipeline construction system, gas gathering and processing.

"Nigeria has the world’s 7th largest reserves of gas with a further potential for a further 600 Tcf in undiscovered reserve.

"Nigeria, being Africa's top and world’s 9th gas producer boasts of gas production average of 7.5 to 8 Bscf /day.

"Only about 87 per cent of this production is currently being utilised.

"The gas sector holds a huge potential for record growths with prospect for 20 Bscf/d production by the end of 2015," he said.

Osahon also said that the continued growth in gas production and utilisation with a corresponding decline in flare volumes attested to industry’s response to the Gas Master Plan.

He said that the Federal Government had set up three gas pipelines transmission stations and regional hubs to help in gas gathering and transmission to end users.

"These stations are the 1200km South-North line, the 700 km Western system with 200 km offshore extension and the 200 km inter- connector system.

"Strategic regional gas gathering hubs in line with government’s gas infrastructure blue print is being put in place to network the country’s gas grid.

"These regional hubs shall comprise of the West Delta (Warri/Forcados area), North Port Harcourt (Obiafu) and Akwa Ibom/Calabar ", he said.

Basketmouth arrested in the UK

Nigerian comedian Basketmouth was arrested last week in the United Kingdom! No need to worry though, this was all part of a video that just went viral, where one of Africa’s greatest comedy exports promotes his biggest UK tour yet. In the hilarious video, the comedian slaps a “London boy” who he calls out for disrespecting him. Just then, the cops show up and all hell breaks loose.


Basketmouth is gearing up for a massive tour next year, that will see him taking his unique brand of comedy to Manchester, Birmingham and London. The tour, titled ‘Uncensored’, starts on Valentine’s Day in 2014 and ends on 16 February. “I have been writing new material in readiness for this tour. This is the return of the sleeping giant”, the comedian says. The sky is definitely the limit for the respected funnyman, who just recently made audiences laugh 30 000 ft. in the air on a Virgin Atlantic flight from Nigeria to London, about two months ago.

Presidency use NDDC against Amaechi

Nominations for the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) became a battle front for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and  Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

According to reports, positions  of executive director, finance and administration usually allocated to  Rivers governor to pick nominees was conceded to Education Minister, Nyesom Wike.

The NDDC  is restricted  oil producing states  with the governors sending nominees for  board members  to the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in the Presidency.

The member states of the NDDC are Cross-Rivers Edo, Delta, Akwa-Ibom,Abia, Ondo, Imo and Bayelsa.

Diezani prepared To sell Nigeria’s refineries, again

 

Speaking with Bloomberg TV Africa reporters in London, Alison-Madueke supported the idea of major infrastructural entities, such as refineries, being owned by the private sector rather than the government. Government, she explained, "does not want to be involved" in running such entities. She then went on to admitting, "We haven't done a very good job at it over all these years."
Last year's Presidential audit of the facilities showed it would be best to sell them, as government funding was 'inadequate,' while performance 'sub-optimal'.
According to the November 2012 report submitted to President Goodluck Jonathan, the refineries (which have a combined 445,000 barrel-a-day capacity) should be privatized within 18 months.
Nigeria, a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), produced 1.99 million barrels a day of crude in October, 2013.
While being Africa's top crude exporter, Nigeria relies on fuel imports to meet more than 70 percent of its needs. Its state-owned plants do not operate at a full capacity because of poor maintenance and aging equipment. The data by Nigeria National Petroleum Corp (NNPC) shows Nigeria exchanges 60,000 barrels a day of crude for products with Trafigura Beheer BV, and a similar amount with Societe Ivoirienne de Raffinage's refinery in Ivory Coast.
"We are right now undergoing a major turnaround maintenance program of the refineries," Alison-Madueke said.
Improvements to the two-unit 210,000 barrel-a-day Port Harcourt refinery will be completed by the end of the year. This development is to be followed by enhancements at the Warri (Delta state) and Kaduna (Kaduna state) sites in 2014, according to the NNPC. Warri has a daily processing capacity of 125,000, Kaduna 110,000 barrels.
In 2007, under President Obasanjo's administration, the refineries were sold to companies owned by billionaires Aliko Dangote and Femi Otedola. The operation was, however, reversed by the President Musa Yar'Adua government that took over from Obasanjo.
READ MORE:  http://news.naij.com/52355.html
 

Jonathan recovers, presides over HICC meeting

 President Goodluck Jonathan has recovered from his brief illness and he is currently presiding over the Honorary International Investors’ Council meeting in London.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati disclosed this on his Twitter page. Abati said the President  will deliver a short speech at the meeting shortly.

President Jonathan, who arrived in London on Wednesday to attend a two-day meeting of Nigeria's Honorary International Investors Council, was reported to have sought for medical attention in a London hospital on Thursday due to ill health.

Joblessness may age you

Men who are unemployed for an extended time may age more quickly, a new study suggests.
That aging is evident in their DNA, the British researchers reported. More specifically, it is found in the length of the gene tips or caps, referred to as "telomeres." The shortening of telomeres has long been seen as an indicator of aging.
"Shorter telomeres are linked to a higher risk of age-related conditions, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes," said study author Jessica Buxton, a research associate in the department of medicine at Imperial College London. "It seems that long-term unemployment is the latest example of a stressful life experience that may trigger permanent changes to the cell's DNA.
Too much work can also be harmful
"It's important to note that other studies have shown too much work can be as harmful as too little," she said. "Work-related exhaustion and the holding of multiple jobs have also been linked to shorter telomeres."
The report was published in the online journal PLoS One.
Constant stress over a long time changes the hormones in one's body, said Curtis Reisinger, a clinical psychologist at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, N.Y. This may be what is causing these changes in telomere length.
"You see the same thing with depression and high stress levels," he said. "The consequence is that you wind up looking and feeling older."
Reisinger said seeing a mental-health professional can help relieve stress. But having a positive attitude also is important.
"This is not the end of the world," he said. "You have to stay focused and have faith that if you keep at it and have a positive outlook, chances are you will be more likely to get a job than if you're down in the dumps and pessimistic."
How the study was done
For the study, Buxton and her colleagues examined DNA from more than 5 600 men and women born in Finland in 1966.
Specifically, they looked at telomere length in DNA samples collected in 1997, when the participants were 31 years old.
The researchers found that men who were unemployed for more than two out of the previous three years were more than twice as likely to have short telomeres compared with men who were employed.
To be sure their findings resulted from unemployment alone, the researchers accounted for other social, biological and behavioural factors that could cause shortened telomeres.
"It's interesting that unemployment itself appears to have a negative effect on health, even after accounting for the potential effects of smoking, physical-activity levels, weight, illness, education and marital status," Buxton said.
Buxton's team found this effect among men and not women, which might be because there were fewer unemployed women in the study, she said.
Although the study found an association between unemployment and faster ageing, it did not prove a cause-and-effect link.